Robots With Shotguns? California Police Department Looks to Add to Its Arsenal

Police in Oakland, California, are pushing to add something new to their arsenal: robots with shotguns.

Although police insist they would be used only when all other options had been exhausted, the plan is still causing an uproar.

Police robots have been used for years to disrupt explosive devices, allowing officers to do their work from a safe distance. 

But now, as first reported by The Intercept, there’s an effort by Oakland police to equip some robots with shotguns.

“But God forbid something does happen where it's the only option,” a member of the Oakland Police Commission said at a recent meeting. “Which is, I hate to say it, a robot with a shotgun may be our only hope.”

The idea of armed robots first surfaced at a recent meeting of the Oakland Police Commission subcommittee on militarized policing.

“It’s a lot easier to pull out a rifle or a gun and shoot somebody than it is to put a live round into this thing,” said Jesse Hsieh of the Oakland Police Commission. “But I think we are all concerned about the dystopian vision where a robot sneaks into our room and shoots us.”

The idea of taking out a bad guy without risking innocent lives appeals to District 5 Councilman Noel Gallo.

“Right now considering the number of officers we are short, we need all the assistance we can get,” he said. “If it’s a robot we're using today, I want to hear the proposal so people clearly understand the need and the implementation.” 

It was back in July of 2016 when the public first saw an instance of a police robot being used to kill a suspect.

Dallas police, involved in a stand off with a man who had killed five police officers and wounded nine others, strapped a bomb to a robot and sent it to where the killer was holed up.

Commission member Jennifer Tu wonders if police would use an armed robot only in such incredibly rare circumstances.

“This is about a shift in how the department is approaching its use of weapons,” said Tu.

Oakland police and commissioners have reportedly agreed that for now, robots can only deliver pepper spray, though they may one day be able to deliver much more.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote to an Oakland police officer. The story has been updated to attribute the quote to a member of the Oakland Police Commission.