Acoustic Warfare used by Police on Protesters

The Pittsburgh Police Department recently used a sonic device that creates a cone of ear-splitting sound on protesters at the Group of 20 summit last week. The device was used to transmit orders to disperse, as well as a car-alarm-like tone, directly into the crowd. The device is intended to be used to deliver instructions over large areas, but some legal groups have stated that the device is dangerous.

The device is essentially a “spotlight of sound,” delivering one hundred forty to one hundred fifty decibels of sound in a thirty to sixty-degree cone. Robert Putnam, a spokesperson for the manufacturer of the device, said that “It is not a sonic cannon,” and that those complaining about the device had probably exposed themselves to sounds nearly as loud at rock concerts. Witold Walczak, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the weapon was “an invitation to an excessive force lawsuit.”

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