San Francisco police want permission to kill suspects with robots while in custody

The San Francisco Police Department intends to update its policy and add the ability to use robots equipped with lethal weapons.

Here's What We Know

The first version of the new policy contained no mention of robots. However, Board of Supervisors Rules Committee member Aaron Peskin decided to add a clause to the document stating that robots could not be used against any human.

In the end, the remark was crossed out, and another clause was added in its place. It was that police would be able to use robots with lethal weapons during the arrest of a suspect if they risked the deaths of officers or members of the public. The draft policy was approved by the Committee. The document will be considered by the Board of Supervisors on November 29.

The San Francisco Police Department now has about two dozen fully functional robots in its arsenal that can be controlled remotely. They are typically used to survey areas and defuse bombs without endangering the lives of the bomb squad.

Source: Engadget