San Francisco U-Turns on Allowing Police to Deploy ‘Killer Robots’ to ’Incapacitate' Dangerous Suspects

Police officers demonstrate some of their security assets, including remote-controlled robots, horse-mounted officers, and bomb-sniffing dogs, in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 14 2016. Michael Mathes/AFP via Getty Images

San Francisco lawmakers on Dec. 6 voted to ban police from using remote-controlled robots that can be equipped with explosive charges, reversing an earlier decision on the matter.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 8–3 on Tuesday to explicitly ban the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) from using the robots in extreme circumstances.

Specifically, police would have been able to use the robots “to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspects” when there is an imminent risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers.

According to reports, SFPD has 17 robots in its arsenal, 12 of which it describes as fully functional. The force acquired the robots between 2010 and 2017 and they are remotely controlled and operated by SFPD officers who have undergone specialized training, according to police.

A law enforcement equipment policy form pegs the initial cost of the robots, which are already in use in other parts of the country, at just under $1 million (pdf).

The board previously voted 8–3 on Nov. 29 to allow police to use the robots in a lethal manner, although the vote only allowed senior officers in the force to be granted permission to authorize their deployment.

San Francisco Police Chief William Scott speaks to reporters about the attack on Paul Pelosi, in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2022. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

‘We Need the Option to Be Able to Save Lives’

That vote was prompted by a new California law that went into effect this year requiring police departments to list their military-grade equipment and seek public approval before they can be used, The Associated Press reported.

At the time the board voted to approve the measure, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said in a statement that the robots would be used in “potentially deadly force situations” such as in bomb situations, hazardous materials incidents, and others in which officers would need to keep a safe distance before securing a scene.

He added that they would only be used as a last resort.

“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,” Scott said.

Crime in San Francisco has soared this year after declining in 2020 and 2021, according to local reports.

The board’s decision, however, sparked a backlash among civil liberties and other police oversight groups, who expressed concerns over the increasing militarization of police.

Protests also broke out across San Francisco, including outside the City Hall, condemning the vote, ABC News reported.

While the board voted against the deployment of robots among SPFD on Tuesday, it did send the issue back to the Rules Committee for further discussion, meaning the policy could be amended in the future.

A state police swat team member readies a robot to enter a home where a man had barricaded himself in Trenton, N.J., on May 10, 2013. The Trentonian, Scott Ketterer/AP Photo

‘Killer Robots’

A final vote on the banning of the robots is expected next week.

A spokesperson for the SFPD told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the “real issue” is “having the tools necessary to prevent loss of innocent lives in an active shooter or mass casualty incident.”

“We want to use our robots to save lives—not take them. To be sure, this is about neutralizing a threat by equipping a robot with a lethal option as a last case scenario, not sending an officer in on a suicide mission,” the spokesperson added.

A spokesperson for SFPD told the BBC that the “robots could potentially be equipped with explosive charges to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed, or dangerous subjects.”

They also said robots could be used to “incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspects who pose a risk of loss of life.”

San Francisco would not be the first state to use robots. In July 2016, police in Dallas, Texas, used a bomb-equipped robot to kill a sniper who had shot and killed five officers and injured several more during a protest.

Hilary Ronen, one of three supervisors on the board who initially voted against the measure, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that “common sense prevailed” regarding the “killer robots.”

Another member of the board, Supervisor Dean Preston, who had previously referred to the robots as “SFPD’s dystopian military equipment policy,” also praised the decision on Tuesday, writing on Twitter that it marks “a crucial change that will make us all safer.”

Update: This story has been updated with a statement from the San Francisco Police Department.