The Los Angeles Police Department is defending their new robot dog, promising it will never be weaponized after critics of the new apparatus vocalized concerns about its effects on communities, according to a report.
The four-legged machine named "Spot" was designed by Boston Dynamics. It is akin to a Golden Retriever in size and agility, and weighs about 70 pounds, as reported by KTLA.
Spot can open doors, pick up objects, drag items weighing up to 50 pounds and can easily traverse difficult terrain.
Deputy Chief David Kowalski, commanding officer of LAPD's counterterrorism and special operations, told KTLA, "The main reason that we acquired Spot is to save lives."
Earlier this year, Spot was deployed to an incident of an armed man barricaded on an L.A. Metro bus. Spot was able to get onto the bus, identify the weapon and take it away from the suspect so that police were able to detain them without further risk.
However, others fear that the robot dog could be seen as a symbol of militarization to minority and low-income communities.
"I think that people are concerned in our communities because Spot follows a long and flawed history of predictive policing in Los Angeles," Brittany Friedman, assistant professor of USC's Sociology Department, told KTLA.
Meanwhile, Kowalski told the outlet that Boston Dynamics prohibits facial recognition, and that LAPD does not plan to arm Spot.
The New York Police Department also previously had a robot dog, DigiDog, however it was removed from service after large public backlash when it was deployed into public housing.
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