Some Upset Sheriff's Department Has Sonic Device

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Some Upset Sheriff's Department Has Sonic Device

POSTED: 6:08 pm PDT September 14, 2009
UPDATED: 12:36 pm PDT September 15, 2009

SAN DIEGO -- The same kind of technology used against insurgents in Iraq and pirates off the coast of Somalia is now being deployed to some local town hall forums where health care debates are taking place but concern is being raised about the potential lasting effects of these so-called sonic weapons.

Some say because the devices can potentially hurt people's hearing they are too dangerous to be used on a local level.

The Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, is a long-range hailing and warning system that emits focused beams of sound that can cause discomfort or damage. LRADs were originally developed to be used by warships to issue an alert or ward off a potential enemy at sea.

Robert Putnam who works with the company that manufactures the systems said that if someone stood right in front of one, it could harm them.

"At full maximum: 146 decibels," Putnam said of the device's output. "In this day and age where people don't use uniforms, you can use them to hail them from a distance."

The San Diego Sheriff's Department has an LRAD and told 10News that because of its precise and clear sound the new device will be used to alert large crowds at events or during search-and-rescue missions.

Most recently, 10News learned, it was brought to a town hall meeting last month in Spring Valley but not used.

Kevin Keenan of the ACLU has serious concerns about the device being used on a local level.

"It's a military application," Keenan said. "I could understand to have something better than a bullhorn, but fact is you're creating a narrow beam."

San Diego audio company Sound Image helped 10News test everyday noises with a decibel reader to put the LRAD into perspective. As mentioned before, the LRAD can reach 146 decibels, which is similar to the amount of sound generated by the engines of a jet plane.

"A jet plane can be 140-150 [decibels]," Brandon Rinas of Sound Image said.

A car horn tested at 115 decibels. The sound of traffic was just 86 decibels. The output of a fire engine siren from just feet away was in the same range as a jet would be and on par with the LRAD at its maximum setting.

The sheriff's department said its intent is not to harm anyone, it's to help.

The department has only used the device once and that was to organize a large beach crowd. The company that manufactures the LRADs said the only way the devices can cause harm is if a person stands directly in front of one for a long period of time.


http://www.10news.com/news/20913592/det ... l?taf=sand