San Francisco Pulls Back Decision to Permit Armed Police Robots
2022-12-08
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1The city of San Francisco has put a policy on hold that would permit police to deploy armed robots to deal with emergency situations.
2The city's Board of Supervisors voted eight to three last week to approve the measure.
3On Tuesday, however, the board voted to temporarily ban the use of such robots. Board members sent the issue back to a committee for more discussion.
4They could vote on a new measure in the future permitting use of armed robots.
5The policy, considered by the San Francisco Police Department, planned to arm robots with explosives, not guns.
6Supporters of the policy said it would permit armed robots to be used only in life-threatening situations in which other police methods had failed.
7The measure was strongly opposed by several rights groups and police oversight organizations.
8Opponents warned that the policy would open the door to future militarization of the police force.
9They also said it would likely lead to more conflict between police and citizens in poor and minority communities.
10A spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department, Allison Maxie, explained the policy in a statement.
11She said it would permit officers to deploy robots equipped with explosives "to contact, incapacitate or disorient violent, armed or dangerous suspects."
12Maxie added that the use of such robots would only be used in "extreme" situations in an effort "to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives."
13The policy under consideration stated that officers could use robots only after officers had tried using other forms of force and de-escalation methods against suspects.
14Only a limited number of leading officers would be able to approve robots to be used as deadly force.
15The San Francisco policy came about because of a California state law.
16The law requires police departments to examine all military-grade equipment and seek approval from the public for its use.
17So far, two California cities - San Francisco and Oakland - have publicly discussed the use of robots as part of the state's legal requirement.
18Across the United States, police have used robots over the past 10 years to communicate with blockaded suspects, enter possibly dangerous spaces and, in rare cases, to carry out deadly force.
19Experts say, however, that the use of such robots remains rare even as the technology progresses.
20Dallas police became the first police force to kill a suspect with a robot in 2016.
21In that case, police used a robot to blow up explosives during a standoff with a shooter who had killed five police officers and injured nine others.
22The new San Francisco policy has reopened debates in the U.S. over the ethics of using robots to kill a suspect.
23Michael White is a professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University.
24He told The Associated Press that even if robotics companies present deadlier methods to police officials, it does not mean departments will buy them.
25"It's hard to say what will happen in the future, but I think weaponized robots very well could be the next thing that departments don't want because communities are saying they don't want them," White said.
26Protesters marched outside City Hall on Monday to express their opposition to San Francisco's policy.
27City Supervisor Dean Preston joined the demonstrators.
28He told other supervisors he felt the public had not been given enough time to voice their opinions on the issue.
29"The people of San Francisco have spoken loud and clear: There is no place for killer police robots in our city," he said in a statement after the vote.
30"We should be working on ways to decrease the use of force by local law enforcement, not giving them new tools to kill people."
31The new measure still permits police to use robots to be sent into dangerous situations to keep officers at a safe distance.
32San Francisco police currently have a limited number of ground robots designed to investigate bombs or provide an extra set of eyes.
33Supervisor Aaron Peskin brought forward last week's motion on the city's use of robots.
34He said, "Having robots that have eyes and ears and can remove bombs - which happens from time to time - is something that we want the police department to do while we continue to have this very controversial discussion."
35Speaking about the possible use of armed robots, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said in a statement, "We live in a time when unthinkable mass violence is becoming more commonplace.
36We need the option to be able to save lives in the event we have that type of tragedy in our city."
37I'm Bryan Lynn.
1The city of San Francisco has put a policy on hold that would permit police to deploy armed robots to deal with emergency situations. 2The city's Board of Supervisors voted eight to three last week to approve the measure. On Tuesday, however, the board voted to temporarily ban the use of such robots. Board members sent the issue back to a committee for more discussion. They could vote on a new measure in the future permitting use of armed robots. 3The policy, considered by the San Francisco Police Department, planned to arm robots with explosives, not guns. Supporters of the policy said it would permit armed robots to be used only in life-threatening situations in which other police methods had failed. 4The measure was strongly opposed by several rights groups and police oversight organizations. Opponents warned that the policy would open the door to future militarization of the police force. They also said it would likely lead to more conflict between police and citizens in poor and minority communities. 5A spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department, Allison Maxie, explained the policy in a statement. She said it would permit officers to deploy robots equipped with explosives "to contact, incapacitate or disorient violent, armed or dangerous suspects." 6Maxie added that the use of such robots would only be used in "extreme" situations in an effort "to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives." 7The policy under consideration stated that officers could use robots only after officers had tried using other forms of force and de-escalation methods against suspects. Only a limited number of leading officers would be able to approve robots to be used as deadly force. 8The San Francisco policy came about because of a California state law. The law requires police departments to examine all military-grade equipment and seek approval from the public for its use. 9So far, two California cities - San Francisco and Oakland - have publicly discussed the use of robots as part of the state's legal requirement. 10Across the United States, police have used robots over the past 10 years to communicate with blockaded suspects, enter possibly dangerous spaces and, in rare cases, to carry out deadly force. Experts say, however, that the use of such robots remains rare even as the technology progresses. 11Dallas police became the first police force to kill a suspect with a robot in 2016. In that case, police used a robot to blow up explosives during a standoff with a shooter who had killed five police officers and injured nine others. 12The new San Francisco policy has reopened debates in the U.S. over the ethics of using robots to kill a suspect. 13Michael White is a professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University. He told The Associated Press that even if robotics companies present deadlier methods to police officials, it does not mean departments will buy them. 14"It's hard to say what will happen in the future, but I think weaponized robots very well could be the next thing that departments don't want because communities are saying they don't want them," White said. 15Protesters marched outside City Hall on Monday to express their opposition to San Francisco's policy. City Supervisor Dean Preston joined the demonstrators. He told other supervisors he felt the public had not been given enough time to voice their opinions on the issue. 16"The people of San Francisco have spoken loud and clear: There is no place for killer police robots in our city," he said in a statement after the vote. "We should be working on ways to decrease the use of force by local law enforcement, not giving them new tools to kill people." 17The new measure still permits police to use robots to be sent into dangerous situations to keep officers at a safe distance. San Francisco police currently have a limited number of ground robots designed to investigate bombs or provide an extra set of eyes. 18Supervisor Aaron Peskin brought forward last week's motion on the city's use of robots. He said, "Having robots that have eyes and ears and can remove bombs - which happens from time to time - is something that we want the police department to do while we continue to have this very controversial discussion." 19Speaking about the possible use of armed robots, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said in a statement, "We live in a time when unthinkable mass violence is becoming more commonplace. We need the option to be able to save lives in the event we have that type of tragedy in our city." 20I'm Bryan Lynn. 21The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 22_________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24incapacitate - v. to weaken a person in a way that prevents him from operating normally 25disorient - v. to make someone not know where to go or what to do 26escalation - n. to make a situation more serious or worse 27standoff - n. a situation in which an argument or fight stops for a period of time because no one can get ahead or win 28ethics - v. ideas and beliefs about what kind of behavior is morally right and wrong 29controversial - adj. causing a lot of disagreement or argument 30option - n. a choice 31tragedy - n. an event or situation that is very sad, often involving death 32_________________________________________________________________ 33What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. 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