#discoface

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Science fiction works are defined by the imaginings of futures or worlds through the lenses of technological and scientific advancements. 

"Outnumbered and Overwhelmed" the police force also turns to technology to gain the upper hand. From vaccinations against neurotoxins, through drone surveillance all the way to artificial Police officers, John Kennex's police force relies on cutting edge technology to do their jobs. 

(Generally spoiler freeeeee)

MX-43's 

The first piece of Almost Human tech you see isn't immediately recognizable as anything but human, until you see them die.

The MX-43's are the Force's answer to increasing death rates among police officers, and are generally portrayed as expendable. 

They perform a lot of the functions of a smartphone or computer. In addition to being a guy with a gun, their utility lies in maintaining the lines of communications between officers and command, retrieving data on the vast number of drugs, devices and organizations on the streets and accessing the vast crime databases for fingerprints, DNA signatures and MOs. Their connection is via next-generation wireless known as Vi-Fi, which can be used against them; a pulse of the correct frequency on this network will shut them down.

Additionally, they can perform on-site chemical and DNA analysis, and establish preliminary cause and times of death.

While MX's are generally anatomically correct, there are certain things missing. Can an android even give consent, anyway? Does it need to? (for more on this: adamrcharpentier is doing a panel on sexbots!)

Their decision making programming is based on utilitarian ethics: the greatest good for the greatest number, even if that required abandoning the one. It's ruthless, and it's cold, but it's exactly the kind of ethics a big organization like a Police force needs. 

Kennex runs up against this in the first episode:

On the one hand, his partner is dying,

On the other, saving him might cost him his life. 

The utilitarian decision is to save the living, over comforting the dying, while traditional (deontological) ethics requires that you at least try. Even if the chance of saving someone is very small; Pelham is still breathing, but already dead. 

John paid for his decision with his leg, and very nearly his life, while the MX's route would have prevented John's injury, maybe even allowed the raid to succeed, but at least Pelham didn't die alone. 

It's hard to know, in the end, which is the better choice.

WHICH! Leads us on nicely to the next section: 

Dorian: DRN

The DRN line was decommissioned on the basis of 'emotional instability'. Tendencies to go completely apeshit. But, after some remedial work, Dorian was cleared for duty as a police officer; his dream job. He was slated to go to NASA --either as spare parts, or as a repair unit, it's disturbingly unclear--, but John's requisition order gave him  a second shot at police work and they woke him up:

The DRN personalities, behaviors, are based on a program called 'Synthetic Soul'. 

Immediately, he's different from the MX's, he smiles. He lacks the rigidity of the MX's, their coldness. He's human, alive, and happy to be awake.

He has desires; he prefers police work to becoming a repair bot. He's 'not a huge fan' of the term 'synthetic'. He opens his mouth to say things, then decides against it. 

He's so happy to be back in the Police force.

Subcategory: Discoface

MX's and DRN's both have an indicator for when they are processing more than the usual volume of data, or communicating with a comm system, or computer network. The side of their face lights up. 

This may be because increased power usage caused conduits to become luminescent, given that synthetic insides do glow, but it's also possible that this is an indicator, a flag: 'I am synthetic', or 'I am working'. If you consider the lighting-up to be a design decision on the part of manufacturers of synthetics, then maybe it's to make synthetics less threatening. More like shiny toys, more obviously not Human.

Drones

Drones, semi-AI, semi-remote controled aerial vehicles are frequently used during chases, on foot and by car, and to sweep the city along pre-set patrol routes.

Additionally, they are used to transfer messages during the hostage situation involving Ethan Avery's many clones.

Police Medical Tech

Immunizations:

All police officers, the human ones, are vaccinated against everything. Diseases, neurotoxins, tear gas ("bio-warfare, gasses, pathogens, etcetera"-Rudy, source of all science exposition); if its possible to become immune, the PDMU has tried to immunize against it. 

This doesn't go exactly to plan; the immunizations themselves become a weakness. Anything universal about police officers is a target, and they have very powerful enemies with the resources and access to take advantage of that and threaten the entire department.  Myclon Red and programable DNA are used by Insyndicate to target the inoculation directly, causing every disease it prevents to spontaneously occur; the immune system goes nuts. 

The results are not pretty.

Locator chip: 

All officers are implanted with a GPS locator, used on-demand to locate an officer. To preserve privacy, the data is only available under specific circumstances of perceived risk.

Fortunately for John, he has a good Captain, and Dorian makes good use of the chip: (for more about recollectionists and scrubbers, check out the #ahfancon )

Dorian saved his life, John goes out for noodles. this becomes a pattern. ;)