US police rarely deploy deadly robots to confront suspects

By JANIE HAR and CLAUDIA LAUER
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The unabashedly liberal city of San Francisco became the unlikely proponent of weaponized police robots last week after supervisors approved them for limited use. In doing so, the board addressed head-on an evolving technology that’s become more widely available, although rarely deployed to confront suspects. San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said armed robots would be used only as a last resort. Three members of the city’s Board of Supervisors joined dozens of protesters against the policy outside City Hall on Monday. Police departments across the U.S. are facing increasing scrutiny of militarized equipment, amid a yearslong national reckoning on criminal justice.