San Francisco Police Approved to Use Lethal Robots

Facts

On Tuesday, San Francisco, Calif. officials voted to give police the ability to use remote-controlled and potentially lethal robots in emergency situations.
Following an intense two-hour debate, officials voted 8-3 in favor of the robots despite robust concerns raised by civil rights and police watch groups.
The San Fransico Police Department (SFPD) stated that they don't utilize pre-armed robots and have no intention to arm robots with guns. However, the SFPD could potentially utilize robots armed with explosives.
Only a limited number of high-ranking officers will be authorized to use the robots. Their use will only be permitted after alternative forces or de-escalation tactics to subdue a suspect have failed.
The first time a robot was used for deadly force by law enforcement was in 2016. At that time, the Dallas Police Department used a bomb-disposal robot with an explosive device to kill a suspect who had shot dead five police officers.
San Fransisco's Board of Supervisors can annually accept or reject rules around SFPD's use of military-style weapons, which currently includes 12 robots for the tasks like gaining situational awareness, diffusing bombs, or supporting hostage negotiations.

Narrative A, as provided by The Truth About Guns. Despite the hysterical label as "killer robots," the SFPD's use of the robots in the field will only occur when the risk of loss of life to police officers or civilians outweighs any other force option available to the department. The robots don't have guns, and their use of explosives is confined to breaching fortified structures or disorienting violent subjects. Robots can be used correctly with the right protocols.
Narrative B, as provided by Electronic Frontier Foundation. As has been the case with other police militarization efforts, deploying explosive-armed robots is a slippery slope toward using them in everyday practice. Though officials claim robots will only be used for dire situations, over time, they could be used to monitor every protest and every street corner. This is dystopian and dangerous.