SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is debating a policy that could allow for armed robots that are capable of using lethal force to aid police in last-resort situations.
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Matthew Griglia, an electronic frontier foundation policy analyst, expressed his surprise during a board meeting that the robots are being considered in a city that has leaned into restricting police access to invasive technology.
"Here we are where the police are asking for killer robots and we have politicians who are actually very much considering them," he said.
Tracy McCray, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, responded to concerns. "Seen the headlines of very sensationalized about killer robots and I think everybody needs to take a step back," she said. "I think at the end of the day, we might be a long way away from that, but it's a tool to be used."
The San Francisco Police Department said it doesn't have robots outfitted with lethal force options. Griglia said this is reminiscent of the conversations when police were militarized after 9/11.
"Okay, hang on, they're only going to use it in the most extreme circumstances. We don't have to worry about this stuff being rolled out during everyday policing, during traffic stops, and yet here we are, 20 years later, and it’s exactly what we're beginning to see," he said.
The board is considering the policy today as part of a new state law requiring departments to disclose how they might use military-style equipment.
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