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Seattle Police's $360K Robot Dog Raises Questions About Spending and Surveillance
The Seattle Police Department has added a $360,000 four-legged robot to its bomb squad and plans to buy a second, but officials won't say how often it's used or why two are needed. The purchase, funded partly by a FEMA grant, has drawn scrutiny over transparency and privacy.
Seattle's bomb squad has a new member: a four-legged robot that cost taxpayers more than $360,000. The device, a Radeco "Spot" built by Boston Dynamics, walks on four legs, streams video from a 360-degree camera, and has an arm that can grab, lift, and carry objects. Police say it is lighter and more agile than the squad's older treaded robots, and can climb stairs and open doors.
The department acquired the robot sometime before the summer's FIFA World Cup, according to Detective Shane Weatherford, a police spokesperson. A second robot is already "in the works," he said, though the department has not said how it will pay for it.
The purchase has raised questions about spending and transparency. Police spokespeople did not explain what prompted the decision to buy a robot dog or why the department needs two. A department blog post provided few details on how the robot has been used so far. The post said the device addresses "critical gaps" in detecting dangerous objects and preventing terrorism, but did not specify what those gaps are or whether the squad's other robots have ever failed.
Bomb squad encounters with real explosives appear rare. Police 911 dispatch data shows reports of explosions and bomb threats were down 28% through October compared with the same period last year, from 73 to 53. Of the two "critical" bomb threats the unit responded to this year, neither involved an explosive.
The first robot was paid for with money from the city's general fund and a "port security" grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. City records show the total price was more than $362,000, including about $3,000 in personnel costs. The FEMA grant helped the department buy $1.2 million in equipment, including the robot, an $824,000 patrol boat, and six communication devices. FEMA covered 75% of the overall budget, with Seattle paying about $304,000.
On April 14, the City Council unanimously approved authorizing the use of millions in noncity funding, including the FEMA grant. Council members did not discuss the robot dog, which appears only briefly in the package, or the city's $304,000 share.
Seattle's information technology department completed a review of the robot dog three days later, as required under the city's 2017 surveillance ordinance. The report found the device could collect personally identifiable data but said its surveillance capabilities were covered by a Police Department policy approved by the City Council in 2023.
Police agencies around the country have increasingly adopted Spot robots. The Portland Police Bureau announced last year that it had acquired one, saying it would give officers "additional options" without replacing other robots or K9s. Boston Dynamics has also faced scrutiny after agreeing to sell $1.3 million of its Spot devices to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Dozens of employees signed a petition urging executives to stop the sale, arguing their technology should not be used by an agency that "brutalizes citizens."
For Seattle residents, the purchase raises questions about how public safety dollars are spent and whether the department is being transparent about its use of surveillance technology. The city's surveillance ordinance requires reviews of new technologies, but the robot dog's capabilities and deployment remain largely undisclosed.