L.A. City Council Approves Controversial Robot Police Dog After Debate

The Los Angeles City Council approved the use of a robot police dog by the LAPD despite concerns over civil rights violations and police overreach.
The quadruped unmanned ground vehicle is valued at $277,917 and was donated to the LAPD by the Los Angeles Police Foundation.
The robot dog has surveillance technology but is currently unarmed, though it could potentially be equipped with weapons in the future.
Critics argue the technology could be used unfairly against minority and marginalized groups and represents an unacceptable expansion of policing powers.
The council approved the robot with conditions like quarterly reports on its usage and outcomes.