St. Petersburg Police Dept. reveals new tech, SPOT

The St. Pete PD reveals the latest addition to their SWAT team, a robotic dog named SPOT, and public reception is mixed.

The remote-controlled robotic dog, created by Boston Dynamics, has an intercom and a 360 camera so the operator can see and safely navigate. SPOT can move on rough terrain, open doorknobs, and climb stairs. SPOT was purchased with funds provided by The Speer Foundation, and no public funds were used.

Chief Anthony Holloway has stated that SPOT will not be used for crowd control, traffic control, intimidation, surveillance or information gathering, but rather as a tool for use in extraordinary emergency situations involving a threat or high risk to human life, such as active shooter response, hostage situations, search and rescue, natural disasters, etc. The St. Pete PD asserts that SPOT does not carry a weapon and cannot be weaponized to harm humans or animals.

The majority of feedback on social media has been negative with criticisms on SPOT’s potential use-case, the public funding of maintenance-related expenses, and controversies related to Boston Dynamics. The St. Petersburg Police Department is the third law enforcement agency in the country to acquire the new technology. Social media users point out how the N.Y.P.D quickly returned their SPOT after immense public backlash likened the robotic dog to a dystopian surveillance drone and an example of overly aggressive policing. Let’s see if SPOT has truly found his furever home in the city of St. Pete.

View the video demonstration