San Francisco To Allow Police Use Killer Robots

San Francisco’s ruling Board of Supervisors has voted to let the city’s police use robots that can kill.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the measure permits police to deploy robots equipped with explosives in extreme circumstances.

EDITOR’S PICKS

• Belarus: Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei Dies At 64

• World Cup 2022: Wales Fan Dies In Qatar

• US: Former Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown Dies At 88

Dr. Catherine Connolly, from the group Stop Killer Robots, said the move was a “slippery slope” that could distance humans from killing.

The city’s police – the SFPD – told the BBC they do not currently operate any robots equipped with lethal force.

They said though that there may be future scenarios in which lethal force could be used by a robot.

A spokesperson for the police said, “robots could potentially be equipped with explosive charges to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed, or dangerous subjects”.

They also said robots could be used to “incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspects who pose a risk of loss of life”.

Advocates for the measure said it would only be used in extreme situations.

Opponents, however, say the authority could lead to the further militarisation of the police force.

The measure passed, with an amendment on Tuesday specifying that officers could only use robots wielding deadly force after employing alternative de-escalation tactics.

The board also stipulated that only a limited number of high-ranking officers could authorize its use.

This type of lethal robot is already in use in other parts of the United States.

In 2016, police in Dallas, Texas, used a robot armed with a C-4 explosive to kill a sniper who had killed two officers and injured several more.

The SFPD said the department does not currently own any robots outfitted with lethal force, but said the measure might be needed in the future.

“No policy can anticipate every conceivable situation or exceptional circumstance which officers may face. The SFPD must be prepared, and have the ability, to respond proportionally,” a spokesperson said.

The federal government has long dispensed military-grade equipment, camouflage uniforms, bayonets, and armored vehicles to help local law enforcement.

But a California state law passed this year now requires city police forces to inventory military-grade equipment and seek approval for their use.

Dr. Catherine Connolly, from the campaign group Stop Killer Robots, said the move could “make humans more and more distant from the use of force and the consequences of the use of force”.

FURTHER READING

• Iran: Ayatollah Praises Paramilitary Deadly Crackdown On Protesters

• US: Biden Bans Telecommunications Equipment Sales Amid Chinese Spying Fears

• Pope Francis’s Secretly Taped Phone Call Emerges During Financial Trial

She also said the measure could make it “easier to make decisions to use lethal force in the first place”.

Source: BBC

Click here to watch video of the week:

---

Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:

Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.

Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.

Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611