Killer robot used by Dallas police opens ethical debate

Associated Press ^ | Jul 8, 2016 8:04 PM EDT | Michael Liedtke and Bree Fowler

[Olog-hai]

When Dallas police used a bomb-carrying robot to kill a sniper, they also kicked off an ethical debate about technology’s use as a crime-fighting weapon.

In what appears to be an unprecedented tactic, police rigged a bomb-disposal robot to kill an armed suspect in the fatal shootings of five officers in Dallas. While there doesn’t appear to be any hard data on the subject, security experts and law enforcement officials said they couldn’t recall another time when police have deployed a robot with lethal intent. […]

“If lethally equipped robots can be used in this situation, when else can they be used?” says Elizabeth Joh, a University of California at Davis law professor who has followed U.S. law enforcement’s use of technology. “Extreme emergencies shouldn't define the scope of more ordinary situations where police may want to use robots that are capable of harm.” …

[HiTech RedNeck]

And in practice, “Fear” trumps almost any other argument.

[Olog-hai]

That’d be Obama’s cue to push another of his goals, that being the federalized police force.

[mrsmith]

Not with professionals.
If fear was the bas rationale then there should be administrative sanctions at least.

I don’t think so.

[Little Pig]

In this case, “robot” actually means “fancy R/C car”.

[bigredkitty1]

Agreed. Dead is dead. It is just a bonus that no more DPD officers had to be put in harms’ way to take out this mad dog.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well, the odd thing about the American model is that it never was meant to leave security solely to “professionals.” That leaves it at the mercy of same.

[spel_grammer_an_punct_polise]

When will it happen that the ‘authorities’ will use a robot-bomb for jaywalking? I mean to ask how far into the future...?

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Take it back to any technological innovation since caveman days.

The steel in the swords of knights of old was pretty high-tech in its day...La Trebuchet!

[HiTech RedNeck]

And so ISIS ululates and we schadenfreude.

God wonders what we’ve learned.

[RFEngineer]

“There is nothing to debate. This is coming whether people like it or not.”

The debate is not whether it’s coming, it’s what does it mean, and how will it impact society....do we need new laws? Who will lawfully possess the technology, who decides how it is employed and for what crimes?

There is plenty here to ponder.

[Olog-hai]

Only Professor Joh knows.

[morphing libertarian]

can you link me to the web site for these photos?

[George Washington Axe]

Like “Rise of the Machines” movie ?

[morphing libertarian]

thnx got it

[Riley]

I have seen a restored and operable (except for the boom) one of those. I’ve seen a second one made into a fantastic glass-topped coffee table.

[SERKIT]

So drones would be out, too? That ‘killer robot’ saved lives. This clown was shooting at the cops during negotiations. If this is precedence, I say it is GREAT precedence.

[bigredkitty1]

Not at all. LEO’s put themselves between law-abiding citizens and the criminal element each and every day they put on the uniform, protecting all of us from those that would do us harm. If there is a way to protect their lives while they protect ours, I am all for it.

For the DPD officers to have gone in to neutralize that remorseless, vicious killer last night, more lives would have been lost. No additional officers’ lives lost and that piece of filth was sent to the hereafter. I am good with their decision.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

that piece of filth was sent to the hereafter HELL!

[DiogenesLamp]

The debate is not whether it’s coming, it’s what does it mean, and how will it impact society....do we need new laws?

We need a new society. This is the gun debate all over, but far more potentially deadly. Technology has reached the point where any clever engineering types can create their own swarm drones, and quickly wipe out a dozen men in a battlefield situation.

Terrorists will figure out that they can use drones too. There is no stopping the weapons, the only workable solution is to stop the mindset that would employ such weapons, and by this I mean "Morals."

Society must embrace morals once again, and not subjective morals that may change from individual to individual, but a broadly accepted and clearly defined set of morals that have a proven track record of mitigating the worst of human behavior.

This is a good start.

Consider it bios firmware for Humans.

[DiogenesLamp]

The question will continue to boil down to, who has control over this stuff.

The answer is that it is impossible to control this stuff. The Technology is spread too far and wide, and now millions of people can create robotic devices that can carry an explosive charge to attack an adversary.

There is no control over it. The only control that can be brought to bear is the teaching of self control, preferably started as a child in a normal male/female family environment.

What people believe matters. What they are taught, (and also what they are not taught) matters.

You cannot control people, you can only encourage everyone to control themselves. This is how Christianity created Western civilization.

It was an ingenious system that convinced each individual to control themselves.