San Francisco Police's New Draft Policy Would Give Robots The Right To Kill

As technology advances at a never-seen-before pace, robots are starting to be used to perform a wide range of tasks that are easily automated. However, law enforcement authorities in the US might be taking things up a notch.

San Francisco Police Department proposal could allow robots to kill

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is proposing a new policy that would give robots the licence to kill.

San Francisco Chronicle

The new policy proposal includes guidance that lets police use robots as a "deadly force option when the risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers is imminent and outweighs any other force option.¡±

The policy also states that ¡°only assigned operators who have completed the required training shall be permitted to operate the robots.¡±

Earlier, the local lawmakers had attempted to include guidance that robots would not be deployed to kill people. "Robots shall not be used as a means of force against any person," the original guidance read.

Representational Image/AFP

However, the SFPD has removed that wording in a subsequent draft and instead replaced it with guidance that allows for the use of killer robots.

If the draft policy is passed, the robots could be used during arrests, critical incidents, the execution of a warrant, and ¡°suspicious device assessments."

San Francisco Police Department currently has 17 remotely piloted robots

The rules committee that reviewed the proposal voted to send it to the Board of Supervisors to consider at a meeting next week.

The San Francisco Police Department currently has 17 remotely piloted robots, but only 12 are functioning.

San Francisco Chronicle

While most of the robots listed in the SFPD¡¯s inventory are primarily used for defusing bombs or dealing with hazardous materials, the new Remotec models have an optional weapons system, and the department¡¯s existing F5A has a tool called the PAN disruptor that can load 12-gauge shotgun shells.

While San Francisco has never explicitly allowed for robots to take human lives, lethal autonomous weapons (LAWs) are increasingly common in modern warfare. The Dallas police department used a robot to kill a suspect in 2016, accused of killing five cops in a shooting.

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