Since the birth of the XXIAnd century, remote killing using remote-controlled weapons is a common reality on the battlefield. Will it soon be the same in the suburbs or in the city center during police operations? San Francisco, in the United States, seems ready to lead the way: on Tuesday, November 29, the Californian city council voted in favor of the use of robots with lethal force.
If the decision was taken by a clear majority – 8 votes against 3 – the debates lasted more than two hours on Tuesday. «This is a police that is there to protect us, not the militarycomplained one of the elected officials. There is a serious risk of misuse and abuse. “There may be an extraordinary circumstance where the police may want to use lethal force to prevent someone in a horrific situation from doing more damage,” retorted another.
For now, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) has 12 robots. They are unarmed and are remote controlled by the agents. Able to climb ladders, lift loads, and equipped with an articulated arm, they are used to defuse potential bombs or to monitor inaccessible areas via their cameras.
Limited cases and as a last resort
Out of the question, the SFPD assures, equipping them with firearms. But now robots can be called upon to intervene «in case of imminent danger of death of an individual or an officer and without the possibility for the police to contain this threat, through other options for the use of force» – especially against a crazed killer.
A case in Texas in 2016, when Dallas police loaded a robot with explosives to incapacitate a man who killed five police officers, sparked debate in the United States. With a risk of escalation: once the principle of robot lethality is accepted, how to avoid a headlong rush? «For the moment we are talking about limited cases, but we know that the forces of order, when they have equipment, tend to multiply its uses, explains Didier Combeau, specialist of the American police (1). As we have seen with Swat. These military-equipped units, created in the 1960s to deal with revolts, were then employed in the service of the war on drugs, intervening directly in people’s homes.. »
A debate that has just begun
These questions also agitate the industrial world. In October, several leading companies in the sector took a stand against the arming of robots for civilian use. Just like the advisers of the Axon company, which after a massacre in a Texas school in May 2022, offered to equip its drones with tasers and install them in classrooms. The company had to back down after numerous resignations from its ranks.
However, the debate about the role of robots in policing has only just begun. On the initiative of the police, but not only. «Police violence has also raised the question of the use of robots in law enforcement, underlines Didier Combeau. Because many blunders occur, especially during roadside checks, when the policeman, feeling threatened, shoots. Sending a robot would eliminate this risk. »
