San Francisco Approves the Use of Lethal Police Robots
What was once a concept reserved for cheesy, dystopian movies about a gritty and grimy future America has now come home to roost.
In the city of San Francisco, California, authorities have now voted to allow police to deploy deadly robots – the first such allowance of its kind.
Supervisors in San Francisco voted Tuesday to give city police the ability to use potentially lethal, remote-controlled robots in emergency situations — following an emotionally charged debate that reflected divisions on the politically liberal board over support for law enforcement.
Advertisement - story continues belowThe vote was 8-3, with the majority agreeing to grant police the option despite strong objections from civil liberties and other police oversight groups. Opponents said the authority would lead to the further militarization of a police force already too aggressive with poor and minority communities.
Supervisor Connie Chan, a member of the committee that forwarded the proposal to the full board, said she understood concerns over use of force but that “according to state law, we are required to approve the use of these equipments. So here we are, and it’s definitely not a easy discussion.”
Local leaders attempted to tamp down some of the hysteria.
The San Francisco Police Department said it does not have pre-armed robots and has no plans to arm robots with guns. But the department could deploy robots equipped with explosive charges “to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspect” when lives are at stake, SFPD spokesperson Allison Maxie said in a statement.
Advertisement - story continues below“Robots equipped in this manner would only be used in extreme circumstances to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives,” she said.
With all of the issues that San Francisco is already dealing with, the move could be seen as a bit negligent in the eyes of citizens.
