The San Francisco Police Department in the US state of California has made a proposal that plans to equip robots for defusing explosive devices with firearms, to be used in “rare” circumstances to apply lethal force against armed suspects. SFPD does not have any sort of specific plan in place as the unusually dangerous or spontaneous operations where SFPDs need to deliver deadly force via robot would be a rare and exceptional circumstance.
SFPD always could use lethal force when the risk of loss of life or serious bodily injury is imminent. The SFPD’s proposal also aims to introduce “new technological capabilities” that can help police in the case of a hostage situation, where a gunman has barricaded himself inside a building and is holding people at gunpoint.
In a recent press release, the San Francisco Police Department announced that it is looking to add an equipment policy regarding robots. The policy states that not only will the department allow its officers to use lethal force on remote-controlled robots, but it will also allow the robots to be used in training and simulations, criminal apprehensions, critical incidents, exigent circumstances, executing warrants, or during suspicious device assessments.
And if this isn’t alarming enough, the SFPD has 17 robots in its possession — and it is looking to add more. The release states that the department has been using robots in its training for a few years now, but it has never had a policy for them.
The release also states that the department is looking to add more robots to its arsenal. It said it has a “robotic technician” who is responsible for training officers on how to use the machines and for maintaining them.