San Francisco plans to authorize its police officers to use killer robots, a controversial decision defended this Thursday as a “last resort solution” by the police of the American city, located in California.
The San Francisco City Council voted in favor on Tuesday, by 8 votes to 3, for the adoption of a resolution providing for the use by law enforcement of robots capable of killing in certain extreme cases, such as terrorist attacks or mass killings, which are very common in the United States.
An option “to save lives”
“The use of robots in potentially deadly situations is an option of last resort,” San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said in a statement. “We live in a time when mass violence is becoming more frequent,” he insisted. “We need this option to save lives, in case this kind of tragedy happens in our city. »
San Francisco police currently have several robots, purchased between 2010 and 2017, that they can control remotely. They are used “during bomb threats, hazardous materials and other incidents where police officers need to keep their distance before securing the scene”, according to the statement, which specifies that only senior police officers could give the order to use a robot to kill.
The new measure would allow these robots to be used to place an “explosive charge” capable of “incapacitating or disorienting an armed or dangerous violent suspect who threatens to take lives”, according to the police. “Robots equipped in this way would only be used to save innocent lives,” police said.
For opponents, a “militarization” of the police
This decision, which has yet to be definitively adopted at a city council scheduled for December 6, according to the New York Times, is fueling intense controversy. Its opponents fear that it will lead to an increase in police violence and a future worthy of the “Terminator” films.
“This is horrible policy and the exact opposite of how the police should use robots,” Paul Scharre, vice president of the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank, tweeted.
“The advantage of robots is to create more distance between law enforcement and a threat, precisely so that it does not need to resort to lethal force,” he added, emphasizing that the police can use many means to neutralize an assailant without killing him, such as tasers, flashlight grenades, tear gas, etc.
For him, the decision of San Francisco, which is likely to be followed by other cities, “is a new example of the militarization of the American police”, he denounced.