The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is asking for approval for the department to deploy robots to kill suspects. This is the final step to total Robocop policing. 

In the U.S. there are almost 1 million police officers. And on average every three days, a cop is killed. 

A new SFPD policy proposal is going to voters. It will allow about a dozen droids to be used as a lethal option where there is a life-threatening risk to civilians and/or police. And can only be deployed where there is no other feasible alternative.

The policy outlines how remote-controlled droids can be armed with military-style weapons on an emergency basis. The local news outlet Mission Local claims city officials and the county's Board of Supervisors will vote on November 29th.

The proposal language is specific.

It says, “Robots will only be used as a deadly force option when the risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers is imminent and outweigh any other force option available to SFPD.” 

“It is particularly important that officers apply proportionality and critical decision-making when encountering a subject who is armed with a weapon other than a firearm,” the proposal claims.

Robocop policing increases

In the 1987 sci-fi thriller Robocop was introduced. In the film a cop is terminally wounded in crime-ridden Detroit. The wounded cop is secretly rebuilt into a powerful cyborg. And returns to the force haunted by memories of when he was human.

Today AI powered androids are being used in various police departments around the world. In China, the UK, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and the US police-controlled robots are utilized for crowd control, bomb disposal and for video and audio surveillance.

In 2016, the Remotec model of droid was armed with a gun and used to kill a suspect in Dallas after a shootout. The suspect had killed five police officers and wounded many others.

 For many years drones have been used internationally to target soldiers. But this was the first time a Robocop had employed deadly force.

In a 2016 statement, the Dallas Police Department claimed the robot was deployed only “as a last resort, to deliver an explosion device to save the lives of officers and citizens.”

In New York, police used robot dogs built by Boston Dynamics, to scour crime scenes and assist in hostage situations. But the robot dogs were shelved due to privacy concerns.

Regardless, Robocop policing is here to stay.