I’ve been thinking a bit about the role of police in society lately, and with good reason. Of course, I’m also a sci-fi nerd, and I love robots, so I thought about the Three Laws of Robotics.
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
And I wondered, if police truly are public servants, could we establish a set of laws that they should follow?
- A police officer may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A police officer should respect all human life, and do what they can to serve humans, except where such action would conflict with the First Law.
- A police officer must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
It’s a bit simplistic, and in theory, there are already laws/rules that police officers should follow.
Of course when a robot breaks the rules they can be reprogrammed or dismantled. We do not as of yet have a similar punishment for human police officers.