TIMES SQUARE, N.Y. (PIX11) — The city is leasing the robot, known as K5, from the manufacturer.
It is equipped with multiple cameras and an emergency button to connect with other officers.
It will be in use around the mezzanines of the 1/2/3 trains. It will not be used on the platforms or inside trains, as of now.
Officials say It will record video, but no audio and it will not activate facial recognition.
A human officer will partner with the robot to test the new device for the next two months from midnight to 6 a.m.
Mayor Eric Adams, who once walked the street as a transit police officer, says the cost will be $9 an hour.
NYPD Transit Chief Michael Kemper calls it another resource tool for officers and the public and it can act as a deterrent.
“If anybody needs help, they press a button there’s immediate access. You can never have enough cameras. There’s real value with video surveillance,” he said.
The city, state, and MTA have been upgrading mounted cameras throughout the system. Plans are moving ahead for cameras on trains. More police have been deployed in the transit system since 2022.
Chief Kemper and NYC Transit President Rich Davey point to ridership numbers as one indicator of people’s confidence in the system.
“We always have a lot more to do but this gives us some real momentum,” Davey said.
Ridership topped more than 4 million on the subway a few times this week.
Crime has also been decreasing on the subway.
