Robot puts NYPD in doghouse

Digidog is having a ruff time.

The NYPD’s 70-pound robotic dog, already criticized as a creepy-looking surveillance tool, was acquired without properly notifying the city, according to Comptroller Scott Stringer.

The police department, which Stringer said previously wouldn’t provide details about Digidog (photo), denied that the robot is used for surveillance.

But the agency also claims the leasing didn’t break any rules, because it was not required to report the purchase of top secret investigative tools at the time. Leasing Digidog was classified as confidential because it can be used at scenes involving terrorist bombers, the NYPD said.

Stringer was not satisfied with the explanation.

“The NYPD needs to get its story straight,” said Stringer spokeswoman Hazel Crampton-Hays. “We’ve been trying to get to the bottom of this purchase for weeks and the NYPD failed to disclose the details.”

Last August, Stringer terminated a memorandum of understanding that allowed police to keep its spending on surveillance technology secret.

The move followed the passage of the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology Act, requiring the nation’s largest police department to make each of its surveillance tools public and explain how it protects any information collected.

Digidog has cameras and lights affixed to it and a two-way communications system that allows the cop remotely using it to assess situations and keep other officers out of harm’s way.

But when video of Digidog in action went viral recently, critics derided it as a four-legged drone that raises concerns about privacy and bias.