One audio engineer
calls the long-range
acoustic device
(LRAD) the “sound
equivalent of looking
into the sun.”
22 November/December 2020
SIPA^ USAVIA^ ASSOCIATEDPRESSMilitary
(^6) Tech
// BY LYNNE PESKOE-YANG //
The Power
and Pain of
the Police’s
160dB
Sonic
Weapon
T
HIS YEAR, U.S. LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS HAVE USED
an unusual tactic to control crowds: sonic warfare. A box
that looks like a projector, box amplifier, or loudspeaker
is actually a long-range acoustic device (LRAD)—mili-
tary-grade crowd control that creates powerful sound waves
that, if misused, can disorient and injure humans standing
within the target beam. “Your body goes into complete pain
and panic mode,” says audio engineer Cory Choy, who experienced
LR ADs while documenting the 2014 Black Lives Matter protests in
New York City. “It’s the sound equivalent of looking into the sun.”
LRAD devices, usually mounted on police cars or even on offi-
cers’ chests, vary in look and size. But every model has the same
two capabilities. In one mode, it acts as an amplifier, projecting