A New York appeals court on Wednesday upheld a lower court's ruling that two police officers' use of a "sound cannon" was an unconstitutional abuse of force.
The New York police officers used a sound cannon, officially known as a Long Range Acoustic Devise (LRAD), in December 2014 to disperse people protesting the decision not to indict a policeman over the death of a black man during an attempted arrest.
Six protesters filed a complaint, saying they suffered from migraines, vertigo, sinus pain and hearing problems as a result of the incident.
"The problem posed by protesters in the street did not justify the use of force, much less force capable of causing serious injury, such as hearing loss," the court said in its ruling.
It upheld a lower court's ruling that the devices were likely to be a source of police violence if they were misused.
Developed in the 2000s primarily for military needs, the LRAD emits a high-pitched sound in a specific direction that is unpleasant enough to cause crowds to disperse.
The devices can also serve as powerful megaphones to instruct a crowd.
"The NYPD should overhaul its policies and practices regarding LRAD uses to reflect the reality that LRADs are potentially deadly tools, requiring meaningful training and supervision to use safely," Gideon Oliver, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
According to its manufacturer's website, the LRAD is in use in more than 250 cities, counties and US states, and "is not a weapon."
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ax2usn on June 17th, 2018 at 14:26 UTC »
Hyperacusis... when sounds feel like knives in your ears.
It is the worst part of my deafness. Far worse than incessant ringing, worse than asking people to repeat themselves, worse than social isolation, worse than danger it presents in city traffic.
If protesters suffer from hyperacusis or deafness as a result of sound cannons, I recommend lawsuits. There is no cure, only madness.
theragnork on June 17th, 2018 at 12:53 UTC »
Use of the device has come under fire because of the potential for permanent hearing loss. Human discomfort starts when a sound hits 120dB, well below the LRAD's threshold. Permanent hearing loss begins at 130dB, and if the device is turned up to 140dB, anyone within its path would not only suffer hearing loss, they could potentially lose their balance and be unable to move out of the path of the audio.
Spacey_G on June 17th, 2018 at 11:55 UTC »
Sound cannons are especially evil. If you get hit with a baton or a rubber bullet or a stream of mace, chances are you'll recover (no guarantee, of course). But permanent hearing loss is a torture that follows you for the rest of your life.