NEWS ~ San Francisco reverses course on "killer robots"
While it had issued a favorable opinion to equip the police with robots capable of engaging lethal actions in case of mortal danger, the City Council of San Francisco in the United States is backing down. A new vote is required.
In November, the San Francisco Police Department in the United States asked the city's Board of Supervisors for permission to deploy robots to kill suspects in cases where the risk of death to civilians or officers was considered significant. The city's administration then demanded that the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) reconsider.
His argument could indeed leave the way open for a wide use of killer robots. Then the authorities approved the document. What remained was the vote to integrate these machines. During the session, the San Francisco City Council refused this request. It must be said that the use of these robots by the police force has been controversial ever since it was mentioned. And for good reason, the city is often condemned for excessive use of force during police interventions. Law enforcement officials have also been known to sweep under the rug cases of beatings by its officers.
The fear of an increase in police violence:
It is for these reasons, coupled with the fear of an increase in police violence aggravated by the use of these robots, that the City Council has just decided to back down. Some councillors who were uncomfortable with the use of the robots did a last-minute about-face, and protesters opposed to the measure even broke into the meeting to lobby.
Although the use of these machines has been ruled out for the time being, the Council has not totally ruled out this idea, which it had approved when it validated the document on providing police officers with equipment. But it would like the commission to study this measure in a more structured way. On the other hand, the military equipment of which these robots were part was accepted.
On the police side, officials reiterate that they need these robots to save lives in potentially deadly mass violence situations. Situations that are repeated according to them. While waiting for a review in committee for the integration or not of these killer robots, the police already have a dozen machines capable of conducting mine clearance operations or securing an area.
Robots to eliminate criminals soon in San Francisco?
The San Francisco Police Department is asking to use killer robots in situations where its officers might be in mortal danger. Bomb disposal and scouting robots would be diverted to carry explosives or fire bullets and kill the criminal(s).
Article by Sylvain Biget, published on November 26, 2022
Dallas, United States, early July 2016. A gunman kills five police officers and injures seven others. He also kills two civilians. He is surrounded by the police for several hours. After long and fruitless negotiations, and after a series of gunfights, the police deploy a robot loaded with explosives. The device, a Northrop Grumman Andros robot designed for bomb disposal teams and the military, drops the explosive charge near the shooter. Triggered remotely, it kills him.
This was the first time a robot was used by police to eliminate a criminal. Since then, the use of a robot in certain situations is considered reasonable by American law enforcement agencies to protect the lives of officers. That's why in San Francisco, police officers are currently asking the city's Board of Supervisors for permission to deploy robots. They would be used to neutralize suspects in cases where the risk of death to civilians or officers is considered significant. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) has even drafted its own principles for using a killer robot as part of its annual request for more equipment.
An unclear employment doctrine:
Initially, the city administration asked the SFPD to revise its document, as its doctrine could leave the door open to the overly broad use of killer robots. The authorities then approved the document, as it explained that their deployment would be limited to scenarios where it would be the only option. At the moment, the local police already have a dozen remote-controlled robots. They are mainly used for inspections of potentially dangerous areas and mine clearance. But, as was improvised in Dallas in 2016, they can be diverted from their primary mission to carry an explosive charge. They can also have cannons that allow them to impact blanks. This process is used to make certain explosives react during mine clearance operations. These guns could very well be loaded with live bullets.
The human being at the heart of the problem:
On the military side, this type of weapon already exists and has been used in conflicts or special operations. Ethical issues revolve around autonomous variants of these robots and are even discussed each year at the UN. For now, the principle is that the intervention of a human operator is still required to engage a target. But, with their autonomous capabilities, robots doped with artificial intelligence can very well carry out the operation without any human intervention. The border is very thin, as shown by the case of the Israeli Lanius combat drone from Elbit that Futura recently mentioned. Autonomous, this drone could very well reach its target without the intervention of an operator.
War does not have the same aspirations as the security of a city. In the case of the police, it would indeed be an operator who would be in charge. But the use of lethally capable robots by the San Francisco Police Department remains problematic for another reason. The city is often condemned for excessive and indiscriminate use of force in its interventions. The SFPD even goes out of its way to cover up cases of beatings by its officers. So allowing those same officers to decide whether to hire killer robots is cause for concern among city residents and the administration.
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