San Francisco approves police proposal to use potentially deadly robots

The policy was approved with an amendment that specifies the circumstances in which robots can be used and clarifying that only high-ranking officers will be allowed to authorize deadly force.

The vote comes under a new California state law that requires police and sheriffs departments to inventory military grade equipment and seek approval for its use. San Francisco police currently have a dozen functioning ground robots used to assess bombs or provide eyes in low visibility situations, the department says. They were acquired between 2010 and 2017.

The state law was authored last year by the San Francisco city attorney, David Chiu, while he was an assemblymember. It is aimed at giving the public a forum and voice in the acquisition and use of military-grade weapons that have a negative effect on communities, according to the legislation.

San Francisco police did not immediately respond to a question about how the robots were acquired, but a federal program has dispensed grenade launchers, camouflage uniforms, bayonets, armored vehicles and other surplus military equipment to help local law enforcement, according to the Associated Press.

In 2017, Donald Trump signed an order reviving the Pentagon program after Barack Obama curtailed it in 2015, triggered in part by outrage over the use of military gear during protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting death of Michael Brown.

Like many places around the US, San Francisco is trying to balance public safety with treasured civilian rights such as privacy and the ability to live free of excessive police oversight. In September, supervisors agreed to a trial run allowing police to access in real-time private surveillance camera feeds in certain circumstances.

The Oakland police department across the San Francisco Bay dropped a similar proposal after public backlash.