Police in San Francisco will be allowed to use remote-controlled robots that can kill, despite fierce opposition from civil liberties groups. The police department says they will not arm the robots with guns.

However, when lives are at risk, the police may send out robots armed with explosives “to contact, incapacitate or disorient a violent, armed or dangerous suspect,” according to SFPD spokesman Allison Maxie. Robots outfitted in this way, according to her, would only be employed in dire situations to save or stop the loss of further innocent lives.

The police department presently uses a dozen ground robots for reconnaissance or explosives detection in low-light conditions. However, after a new California legislation went into effect this year mandating police and sheriff’s agencies to inventory military-grade equipment and seek approval for their use of force, explicit authorization to employ robots as a sort of force was needed.

The San Francisco Public Defender’s office sent a letter to the board saying that granting police the ability to use robots against people goes against the city’s progressive values.