City Council Ponders on Accepting Robot Dog Donation for LAPD

Critics have expressed concern regarding the LAPD’s possible misuse of a robot dog donation.

The robot dog created by Boston Dynamics is named Spot and is currently being used by the military for field activities. While the robotics company created Spot for good use, critics cannot help but express their concerns and worry that the LAPD could possibly misuse the robot dog to harm or spy on people.

“When we think about how the LAPD, a paramilitary force that has a history of racist violence, would use a tool like a robot dog, it’s probably for violence against Black and brown communities,” a protester said.

Although the department has insisted that the SWAT team will use the robot dog for added assistance in surveillance and LAPD officials have also said it will not be used for spying, the Los Angeles City Council listened to what the public has to say. With most of the public being against the robot dog, the council has postponed its decision on whether to accept Spot the robot dog for at least 60 days.