California Supervisors Board Votes To Allow Police To Deploy Robots To Kill

A California supervisors’ board voted 8-3 Tuesday night to approve a policy that has been viewed as controversial.

According to CNN, the policy, voted by The San Francisco Board of Supervisors, would allow police to deploy robots capable of using lethal force in extraordinary circumstances.

The news outlet reports that the vote came after a heated debate on a policy allowing officers to use ground-based robots to kill.

According to the ordinance text, the measure would reportedly only apply “when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers is imminent, and officers cannot subdue the threat after using alternative force options or de-escalation tactics.”

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors office told CNN that a second vote expected to take place next week is still required to pass, including the mayor’s approval.

During the board meeting, CNN reports that supervisor Aaron Peskin stated, “There could be an extraordinary circumstance where, in a virtually unimaginable emergency, they might want to deploy lethal force to render, in some horrific situation, somebody from being able to cause further harm.”

But others, like supervisors Dean Preston, Hillary Ronen, and Shamann Walton, reportedly voted against the attempted measures.

“There is serious potential for misuse and abuse of this military-grade technology, and zero showing of necessity,” Preston reportedly stated at the meeting.

Two high-ranking San Francisco Police Department leaders would be required to authorize any such lethal force of a robot, according to an amendment reportedly adopted during the meeting.

In an interview with the Washington Post, spokesperson Robert Rueca stated that while the San Francisco Police Department has a fleet of robots, they do not plan to outfit them with firearms.

Instead, explosive charges could be added to the robots to breach fortified structures, the Washington Post reported.

In addition, robots could be deployed to “contact, incapacitate, or disorient” a dangerous suspect without risking the life of an officer.

CNN has also requested a copy of the meeting after reportedly reaching out to the Board of Supervisors.