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San Francisco to allow police to use robots that can kill

After an "impassioned debate" that resulted in an 8-3 vote, supervisors on Tuesday authorized police to use bomb disposal and reconnaissance robots, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. One of the city supervisors, Rafael Mandelman, confirmed that the board passed an ordinance approving the policy "governing the funding, acquisition, and use of certain technology."

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Though none of the robots "have firearms attached," and police have no plans to attach such weapons, Mandelman said that in some situations, such as terrorist attacks or mass shootings, law enforcement may use the robots. Robots have been used by police in San Francisco since 2010 and so far have never been operated to deliver lethal force, he noted. "There is only one instance on record of a law enforcement robot being used to kill someone, in 2016 when Dallas Police used a robot to kill a sniper who had shot five officers."