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When Should Cops Be Allowed To Take Control of Self-Driving Cars?
HughPickens.com writes: A police officer is directing traffic in the intersection when he sees a self-driving car barreling toward him and the occupant looking down at his smartphone. The officer gestures for the car to stop, and the self-driving vehicle rolls to a halt behind the crosswalk. This seems like a pretty plausible interaction. Human drivers are required to pull over when a police officer gestures for them to do so. It's reasonable to expect that self-driving cars would do the same. But Will Oremus writes that while it's clear that police officers should have some power over the movements of self-driving cars, what's less clear is where to draw the line. Should an officer be able to do the same if he suspects the passenger of a crime? And what if the passenger doesn't want the car to stop—can she override the command, or does the police officer have ultimate control?
According to a RAND Corp. report on the future of technology and law enforcement "the dark side to all of the emerging access and interconnectivity (PDF) is the risk to the public's civil rights, privacy rights, and security." It added, "One can readily imagine abuses that might occur if, for example, capabilities to control automated vehicles and the disclosure of detailed personal information about their occupants were not tightly controlled and secured."
According to a RAND Corp. report on the future of technology and law enforcement "the dark side to all of the emerging access and interconnectivity (PDF) is the risk to the public's civil rights, privacy rights, and security." It added, "One can readily imagine abuses that might occur if, for example, capabilities to control automated vehicles and the disclosure of detailed personal information about their occupants were not tightly controlled and secured."
as a member of the law enforcement community id like to offer my suggestion: whenever. If i get up on a tuesday and my dogs crapped the kitchen floor, Im late to roll call, and I spill coffee down my trousers, I'd like the option of an impromptu game of demolition derby.
It may sound unfair, but try to consider it from my perspective. If you dont let me do whatever I want, I will probably beat you senseless in the name of some arcane law that hasnt been enforced since the Taft administration. Wouldnt it be much better if i could blow off a bit of steam after watching some overweight pensioner buy up the last cream donut at my favourite bakery with a nice game of Mario Kart along a downtown freeway?
Good people go to bed earlier.