--- title: "NYPD Deploys Villainous-Looking Dalek in Subway System" description: "Watch out, New Yorkers. The NYPD's new surveillance Dalek — er, robot — has officially arrived at a subway platform near you." date: "2023-09-25" modified: "2023-09-25" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nypd-deploys-dalek-subway" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "nypd" - "surveillance" - "surveillance state" - "the digest" --- # NYPD Deploys Villainous-Looking Dalek in Subway System ![Watch out, New Yorkers. The NYPD's new surveillance Dalek — er, robot — has officially arrived at a subway platform near you.]() *SCARBOROUGH, ENGLAND - APRIL 23: A Dalek makes its way along the promenade on the second day of the Scarborough Sci-Fi weekend on April 23, 2023 in Scarborough, England. The North Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough hosts the event that showcases many areas of Sci-Fi fandom to entertain visitors and enthusiasts including guest star appearances, panel discussions, gaming, cosplay, props, comic books and merchandise stalls with many of those attending wearing costumes and outfits of their favourite Sci-Fi characters. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images) \Image: Ian Forsyth via Getty Images\* ## Doctor Adams Watch out, New Yorkers — the NYPD's new surveillance bot has officially arrived at a subway platform near you. On Friday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams finally deployed "K5," the NYPD's latest foray into robot-assisted surveillance technology, at the highly-trafficked 42nd Street subway station in Times Square, [*The New York Times* reported last week](). Described [by its maker](), a Silicon Valley-based venture called Knightscope, as a "fully autonomous outdoor security robot," the bot — which bears an eerie resemblance to the nefarious Daleks of the "Doctor Who" franchise — is being hailed by officials as a cost-effective crime deterrent. At a relatively diminutive height of 5'3 and a top rolling speed of 3 miles per hour, this armless egg-on-wheels isn't exactly going to chase any suspects down. But as the pro-K5 logic goes, maybe it could dissuade any would-be criminals from committing crimes in the first place. "Public safety and justice are the prerequisites to more prosperity, particularly in our subway system," Adams declared at a Friday press conference, according to the N*YT*. "When people feel unsafe to use our trains and buses, it impacts our economic stability as well." https://twitter.com/katie_honan/status/1705208259357839622 ## Exterminate! While Adams' outlook on surveillance technology is as rose-colored as ever, privacy activists are once again sounding alarm bells. After all, the camera-strapped K5's bot's entire job is to record the comings and goings of one of New York's busiest subway stations, and Mayor Adams' [particular fondness for Clearview AI]() — the secretive, AI-powered facial recognition app that was created by [scraping Facebook for billions of photos without user consent]() and has since been used to [wrongfully arrest innocent people]() for crimes they didn't commit — is certainly something to keep in mind when considering the potential impacts of a machine like this. Sure, it would be nice, in theory, if all this bot did was stop petty criminals on the subway tracks, but [surveillance technology in context]() is much more complicated — [not to mention dystopian]() — than that idealistic vision. And as Albert Fox Cahn, the executive director of the anti-surveillance nonprofit Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, told the *NYT*, there are [already a lot of cameras]() in and around K5's new stomping grounds. "If the mayor thinks there aren’t enough cameras in Times Square," said Cahn, "then he's more out of touch than I realized." In any case, if you catch the K5 yelling "[exterminate]()," we might suggest you run, and don't walk, away. **More on the NYPD's toys:** [*NYC Mayor Defends Robodog Deployed in Garage Collapse*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()