US police rarely deploy deadly robots to confront suspects

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 has become more widely available even if it is rarely deployed to confront suspects. The authorization comes as police departments across the U.S. face increasing scrutiny for the use of militarized equipment amid a years-long national reckoning on criminal justice. A robot carrying explosives was used by Dallas police in 2016 to kill a sniper. San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said armed robots would be used only as a last resort.