San Francisco debates letting police deploy robots that kill

[Nevilledog]

https://apnews.com/article/police-san-francisco-government-and-politics-d26121d7f7afb070102932e6a0754aa5

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Supervisors in San Francisco held a heated debate Tuesday over whether to give city police the ability to use potentially lethal, remote-controlled robots in emergency situations, with both sides accusing the other of reckless fearmongering.

Police oversight groups are urging the 11-member Board of Supervisors to reject the idea, saying it would lead to further militarization of a police force already too aggressive with poor and minority communities. They said the parameters under which use would be allowed are too vague.

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.

“Robots equipped in this manner would only be used in extreme circumstances to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives,” she said.

The proposed policy does not lay out specifics for how the weapons can and cannot be equipped, leaving open the option to arm them. “Robots will only be used as a deadly force option when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers is imminent and outweighs any other force option available to SFPD,” it says.

*snip*

[0rganism]

1. instant ED-209 vibes

[sarisataka]

2. Welcome to the new SFPD

[hlthe2b]

3. JHC: all those dystopian scenarios coming to reality...

Ya know how older people used to say how much they wished to be "young again?" I don't hear that so much anymore. I wonder if there is a connection.

[Chainfire]

4. Armed robot with a cop on the joystick; what could possibly go wrong?

[Nevilledog]

9. Not to worry... It won't have a gun, just EXPLOSIVES!

Link to tweet

https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/sf-police-killer-robots-would-have-explosives-not-guns-sfpd/

[WarGamer]

6. Similar to the Dallas PD that killed the shooter at the Racial Justice protests a few years back...

[Effete Snob]

7. It's never "robots that can help people"

Nope. Always with the killer robots.

[underpants]

8. I saw a Fox report on this last week. It could help with racial profiling they said

Middle of the day on Friday. The host and the reporter basically were trading talking points. The host said she supported police actually being able to to their job including pulling their guns. She added that it could help with racial profiling.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. FTP.