Wichita will delay purchase of second robotic police dog. Here’s why

The city of Wichita will delay until next year a discussion on whether it should buy a second robot dog for the police department.

An item on the council’s agenda for Tuesday’s meeting shows the city will delay purchasing the second robot, which is intended to assist the department’s SWAT unit.

The department originally asked for two robots: one for SWAT and one for the bomb squad. The council decided to only buy one because of the cost. The robot that was narrowly approved in April cost the city $340,000.

Buying two robots would have cost $639,647.56 at the time.

The council decided during that vote it would delay purchasing the second one, depending on the performance of the first.

The city didn’t receive the first robot until late May, and police are yet to be fully trained on how to use and implement it, according to the agenda report.

“At this time, further performance data is needed before a presentation can be made to City Council regarding the purchase of a second Robotic Dog,” the report said.

The robot, also known as Spot, was created by Boston Dynamics originally for use in manufacturing sites. The robots have since begun to be used by police departments to resolve hostage situations and during bomb calls.

Police Chief Joe Sullivan said earlier this year that the robots are needed for officers’ safety.

“The reason that we’re asking for these is because that will enable us to make sure that everyone goes home,” Sullivan said.

The Wichita Police Department’s last line-of-duty death, unrelated to COVID-19, came from an explosion at the city’s bomb range in 2000.

The council is likely to discuss purchasing the second robot in January 2027.