[The Epoch Times, December 07, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Yin Ruina compiled a report) On Tuesday (December 6), the San Francisco Council voted to put the brakes on the policy of using lethal robots by the police.
Parliament voted unanimously to explicitly ban the current use of robots in this way. But they sent the issue back to a committee for further discussion and may allow limited use.
This is a reversal of last week’s vote to allow the use of bots in limited circumstances.
Police said they have no plans to arm the robot with a gun, but hope to have the ability to attach explosives to the robot in exceptional circumstances.
Last week’s approval sparked pushback and criticism over the deployment of potentially murderous robots.
On Monday, several lawmakers joined dozens of protesters outside City Hall in urging the council to change course.
Some MPs said they did not think there had been enough time for the public to engage in discussions about whether robots could be used to kill people before the first vote in parliament last week.
The vote came amid a new state law requiring police departments to inventory military-grade equipment and seek approval for its use.
Ding, a congressman who voted against the policy last week. Dean Preston said the spirit of the law was to ensure “strong emotions held by people” could be heard by public officials. In his view, the board did not allow enough time for this.
But others said there had been no substantive changes since the parliamentary vote and the policy should remain.
The policy, approved Tuesday, allows police to use robots to investigate potentially dangerous situations.
“As we continue this contentious discussion, we want police departments to have eyes and ears and robots that can defuse bombs, which are dangerous situations that happen from time to time.” Aaron Peskin said. He filed a motion to use the robot last week.
New policies require another vote to take effect. ◇