“Rare and exceptional circumstances”: San Francisco Police Department proposes using robots capable of using ‘deadly force’

The San Francisco Police Department recently proposed the use of robots in dangerous situations. A draft policy has also been formulated to outline the details well.

The draft policy proposes that the police will be allowed to use robots with “deadly force” if there is a threat to the cops or the public.

“Robots will only be used as a deadly force option when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers are imminent and outweigh any other force option available to SFPD.”

According to SFPD Public Information Officer Eve Laokwansathitaya, the robots will only be used in rare circumstances.

“SFPD does not have any sort of specific plan in place as the unusually dangerous or spontaneous operations where SFPD’s need to deliver deadly force via robot would be a rare and exceptional circumstance.”

The draft policy has been sent to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The San Francisco rules committee already approved the draft last week.

The policy has already seen quite a lot of criticism.

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San Francisco PD currently has 17 robots, of which 12 are functional

The original version of the draft policy did not mention ‘robots,’ until the following was added by Aaron Peskin, the Dean of the city’s Board of Supervisors,

“Robots shall not be used as a Use of Force against any person.”

The above line was then amended by the police department to propose that if there is any threat possessed by the public and the authorities, these robots would have the authority to exert lethal force on the suspect.

According to reports by Mission Local, Aaron Peskin accepted this amendment, stating that such situations might arise where the exertion of lethal forces by robots is the only option available.

The draft states that the SFPD has 17 robots, of which 12 are functional. The proposal does not just allow them to "kill," but also permits them to use it in “training and simulations, criminal apprehensions, critical incidents, exigent circumstances, executing a warrant or during suspicious device assessments.”

While most of the robots that SFPD has are used to defuse bombs or deal with dangerous objects, the newer Remotec models are supposed to have some level of optional weaponization as well. Currently, the US Army uses such robots.

In 2016, Dallas PD deployed a robot to kill a suspect who allegedly killed five cops in a shooting.

According to The Intercept, the Oakland PD was considering the use of robots equipped with shotguns. Soon after the report was published, they decided to disapprove of the idea of armed robots.

A police statement was released on October 18, 2022, that read,

“The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is not adding armed remote vehicles to the department… after further discussions with the Chief and the Executive Team, the department decided it no longer wanted to explore that particular option.”

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Draft policy to deploy armed robots faces the brunt of critics

SFPD's draft proposal has received its fair share of criticism.

Tifanei Moyer, an attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, disapproved of the idea and told Mission Local,

“We are living in a dystopian future, where we debate whether the police may use robots to execute citizens without a trial, jury, or judge.”

Moyer further added,

“This is not normal. No legal professional or ordinary resident should carry on as if it is normal.”

The San Francisco PD believes that such a robot would provide “ground support and situational awareness” to the officers whenever required. The final decision will be taken by the Board of Supervisors on November 29.