The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has approved a proposal that would authorize the San Francisco Police Department to use robots as a deadly force option in certain circumstances.
The board voted 8-3 on Tuesday to approve the measure that the SFPD has pushed for to protect its police force in select situations.
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SFPD spokeswoman Allison Maxie told the Associated Press that the robots would not be equipped with guns but could be armed with explosives “to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspect[s]” in life-threatening situations.
“Robots equipped in this manner would only be used in extreme circumstances to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives,” Maxie said.
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The SFPD said it never used robots to deliver explosives with the units it acquired from 2010 through 2017.
A newly enacted state law requires police and sheriff’s departments to be explicitly authorized to store and use military-grade materials.
