(ORDO NEWS) — The Oakland police are planning to arm the robots with a potentially deadly shotgun-like weapon.
In fact, the weapons that the police offer from non-combat and preventive ones easily turn into a full-fledged shotgun.
Law enforcement officers argue this decision by the fact that “this is required by the reality in which we now live.”
What is this weapon
In 2021, the Oakland Police received an “Impact Non-Electric Destroyer” or PAN Destroyer. In short, this is a robot that can carry semi-lethal weapons.
It is more often used in war zones, in particular, for mine clearance, but the scope of such a robot is quite wide.
The weapons the robot is capable of carrying can be loaded with blanks, pressurized water, and live ammunition as needed. It was the last moment that greatly confused the Auckland community.
After all, the police at any time can turn such robots into a tool for murder and use it against civilians – the only question is the sufficiency of the reasoning for such a decision.
One can imagine the application of this particular tool, which may seem reasonable. With very few modifications or even just different types of ammunition, these tools can easily be used as a weapon against democratic dissent, said Liz O’Sullivan, CEO of startup Parity.
Oakland Police seeks to use live ammunition for the Remotec Adros Mark V-A1 robot shotgun. The same model was previously used by Dallas Police to gain access to an armored van that authorities believe was loaded with explosives and was driving a suspect in the June 13, 2015 attack on Dallas Police Headquarters in Dallas, Texas.
When asked during a subcommittee meeting in 2021 if they ever planned to put live ammunition in a car, the Oakland Police Department initially said no. But when developing the rules of use, the Department changed its position.
This caused a lot of controversy, and the Oakland police promised to use “killing machines” only when necessary, during “certain catastrophic events with a high degree of risk, a high threat of mass casualties.”
Law problem
In New Zealand, there is no legislation and corresponding interpretation that would regulate the use of such equipment, so in the end it all depends on the interpretations of the police department and their interpretation.
The local government has already set up a subcommittee to deal with the situation. So far, he has agreed on language that prohibits the use of such robots to kill people, but this has not fully satisfied the public. The police are still allowed to arm such vehicles with pepper spray.
Since the Auckland police are not the only department in the country pushing for the adoption of the PAN, it is likely that in the near future a wave of such disputes and discussions at the state level will cover all of New Zealand, leading to changes in the law and whose side it will be unknown.
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