Paul Verhoeven's 1987 movie โRoboCopโ was set in a futuristic, violence-torn Detroit. Little did we know at the time it wasn't just a sci-fi hit Verhoeven was filming, but a โhow-toโ documentary for politicians in present-day San Francisco.
City leaders approved a measure allowing the SFPD to use remote-controlled robots in dangerous situations.
Situations in which the robots would be armed and deadly:
The San Francisco police department said that it had owned and used robots for tasks such as serving warrants for 11 years and that the department did not have pre-armed robots and had no plans to arm robots with guns. But the department could deploy robots equipped with explosive charges in specific situations such as active shooter incidents and suicide bombers, said David Lazar, San Francisco's assistant police chief.
โWe have it as a tool [we can use] if we have time, have secured the scene and we weigh out if we want to risk lives or if can we send a robot,โ said Lazar during the board of supervisors meeting.
But San Francisco is not the first locality to deploy armed and deadly robots. That โhonorโ goes to Dallas, Texas:
In 2016, the Dallas police force strapped plastic explosives to a robot and used it to blow up a sharpshooter who had killed five officers, in the first U.S. instance of a police robot killing a suspect. One of the SFPD's robots, the Remotec F5A, is the same model as the one used by Dallas police.
Regardless of who went first, we are left to ponder the reaction of San Francisco supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who took to Twitter to say that โDespite the hyperbole expressed by many who oppose this policy, I believe it lays out reasonable restrictions on the use of robotsโฆโ
Supervisor Mandelman must not be aware of how the steady militarization of policing in the United States has undermined public safety and individual rights. And yes, the robots are just the latest chapter in this story.ย Police use of surveillance drones โ without warrants โ has long been an issue for civil libertarians and privacy advocates.
And those aerial robots started out as a sensible, safe way to monitor crowds or high crime areas (no officers put at risk).
Now, they are increasingly part of everyday police activities. San Francisco may not be on the verge of making โRoboCopโ into reality. But the blithe assertions that armed robots will only be sued in extreme circumstances, under careful supervision and stringent guidelines, are patent nonsense.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions ofย American Liberty News.
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3 Comments
Hope so:
Needed
& add these:
30 cal MG
Shotguns
Mega Taser
Sonic disrupter
Laser Dazzler
PA
Killer Robots well great it`s time to start killing you worthless rats that feed off the rest of we the people. The world does not owe you a living.
OK, what’s considered a dangerous situation? A person or even a family who opposes Biden’s Fascist regime? The last thing we need is drones attacking loyal Americans, be they citizens or legal non citizens. If a cop rings my doorbell I answer at night since I live in an area sort of out in the boonies with a .45 in my hand. When the cop identifies himself I put the gun away. Now, I’m not sure what my reaction would be with Biden’s “police force.” I have EVERY INTENTION OF DEFENDING MY FAMILY, MY HOME AND MYSELF! PERIOD. Is there anything wrong with that?