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Well, they tried using some robot dog for some of that, but it just got people more worried about it, so I dunno. I agree that I would like to find ways that we could avoid putting people in harms way so that we don't have to play trolley problems choosing how many police or suspects should die.

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A robot is impersonal.

Deescalation is a skill that requires understanding human nature, displays of understanding and empathy, and is most frequently done through talking. But also in patience and not forcing issues at times and places likely to result in a violent confrontation.

I don't think you can realistically de-escalate a lot of cases. Nobody wants to be arrested and sometimes you do need some way to take them in unwillingly. The real question is how we do that without putting people in mortal danger (of either the cops or the person being arrested).

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