The San Francisco Police Department is asking city leaders to approve a new policy to allow its robots to use lethal force as a last-resort option.
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors was set to consider the proposal Tuesday, in effect answering the question: Should robots be allowed to use lethal force in certain situations?
SFPD is introducing a revision to its policy to never allow its robots to use force against people. The revised draft policy reads as follows: “Robots will only be used as a deadly force option when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers are imminent or outweigh any other force option available to the SFPD.”
SFPD robots are nothing new. The department has 17 robots, 12 of which are functional, and they have had them for years. The revised draft policy has been prompted by a new California law requiring every municipality to create an inventory and define the authorized uses of all military grade equipment.
National Pubic Radio reported the original draft of SFPD’s policy was silent on robots. The draft policy responding to the law initially read: “Robots shall not be used as a use of force against any person.” That line in the draft proposal was crossed out and returned with the revised draft policy.
The proposed draft policy says only assigned operators who have completed the proper training will be allowed to operate the robots, and they will be used by tactical or special operations.
In an email to NPR, SFPD said it “does not own or operate robots outfitted with lethal force options and the department has no plans to outfit robots with any type of firearm. … 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.”
The revised policy has sparked a debate, with one side saying robots can offer a tactical solution instead of risking an officer’s life or possibly the public’s safety, while the other side says we need to take a step back and define our relationship with technology first before allowing robots to have more scope.
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Source: NBC Bay Area