San Francisco approves police petition to use robots as a ‘deadly force option’
A week ago, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) petitioned the Board of Supervisors for permission to deploy robots that can kill suspects under specific circumstances. Now, the board has approved the petition with a vote of 8 vs. 3 despite strong opposition from civil liberties groups. Under the new policy, robots can be used “as a deadly force option when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers are imminent and outweigh any other force option available to the SFPD.”
The city’s police force has over a dozen robots at the moment, which are equipped with the capability to provide video reconnaissance and to diffuse bombs. None of them have weapons and live ammunition, the SFPD says, and there are no plans to fit them with any. However, they can now be deployed with explosives attached “to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspect,” an SFPD spokesperson said. “Robots equipped in this manner would only be used in extreme circumstances to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives,” they added.
As NPR notes, SF officials have to define the authorized uses of its robots and other military-grade equipment due to a …read more
