SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (CNN) – The San Francisco Police Department has the option now to use robots to kill.
The machines though cannot take any action without a trained deputy.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to approve the change in policy at its meeting Tuesday.
Police said they would only use the robots as a last resort to save lives and that the idea of using “killer robots” was “somewhat misleading.”
San Francisco Police Department Chief Bill Scott said, “They are operated by humans. Our officers who are trained to operate these robots are very well-trained and very skilled at what they do. They’re not autonomous. They’re not programmed. They are operated by remotely by officers who are very trained to do just that. ”
Chief Scott said the department wants to be transparent about how the robots are used.
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