In San Francisco, police robots will be able to kill people in an emergency. The corresponding proposal received a majority in one vote.
The San Francisco Police now has the ability to deploy potentially lethal remote-controlled robots in emergency situations. After days of heated debate, Tuesday’s (November 29) vote for the use of robots failed, despite warnings from civil rights groups and police observers. The fear: the use of robots would lead to a progressive militarization of the police, already aggressive towards minorities.
San Francisco Police Commissioner Connie Chan told the AP news agency she understands the concerns, but “is now required by law to authorize the use of this equipment.” Also, the San Francisco Police Department will not arm robots with guns. However, the plan is to use the machines to deploy targeted explosive charges in order to “incapacitate or disorient violent, armed or dangerous suspects”. But only if lives are at stake. Their spokeswoman announced it in a statement.
Robots can only be used by a few police officers
San Francisco regulators have now changed the proposal to allow officials to use the bots only when other tactics have failed. Furthermore, only a limited number of senior officials can authorize the lethal use of robots.
The San Francisco Police Department currently has approximately 12 operational ground robots that are used to inspect bombs or provide privacy protection in low visibility conditions. They were purchased between 2010 and 2017 and have not even been used to deploy an explosive device.
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