Lethal Robots Will Assist San Francisco Police to Eliminate Dangerous Criminals

America’s San Francisco police have received permission to deploy lethal remote-controlled robots in emergency situations. This controversial policy was approved by the city’s board of supervisors on Tuesday.

Civil liberties groups criticized this decision alleging that this would lead to the further militarization of a police force already too aggressive with poor and minority communities, reported by the Associated Press (AP).

The new policy that enables san Francisco Police to use robots clarifies that only high-ranking officers will be allowed to authorize the deadly robot for action.

The San Francisco Police Department will deploy robots equipped with explosive charges “to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspect” when lives are at stake, said SFPD spokesperson.

Robots equipped in this manner would only be used in extreme circumstances.

As per the AP report, the proposal to use robots during emergency law and order situations was amended on Tuesday to specify that they can be used only after the failure of all other alternative means. Only a limited number of high-ranking officers will have the power to use these deadly robots.

The first time a robot was used to kill an armed assailant in the US was in 2016 when Dallas police used an armed robot to kill a gunman who had shot down five officers in an ambush.