Law enforcement says that in some scenarios a lethal robot is the only way to protect public safety. Experts say the policy will harm communities of color.
Last week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave police the right to kill criminal suspects with a teleoperated robot if they believe there is an imminent threat of death to police or members of the public, Khari Johnson reports.
Assistant police chief David Lazar said ahead of the vote that killer robots might be needed in scenarios involving mass shootings or suicide bombers, citing the killing of five police officers in Dallas, Texas, in 2016. Dallas police ultimately used explosives strapped to a Remotec F5A bomb disposal robot—a model also possessed by the San Francisco Police Department—to kill that suspect.
The new administrative code requires a police chief to authorize use of deadly force involving a robot and to first consider deescalation or an alternative use of force. But critics say the policy change normalizes militarized policing and could lead to the intimidation or death of vulnerable people historically discriminated against by law enforcement, such as those with mental health problems, homeless people, and communities of color.
