Police request for ‘sound cannon’ scrapped as City Council balks

Spokane Police and the City Council have agreed after public outcry to scrap the purchase of two portable high-range speakers, informally known as “sound cannons” for their piercing noises that can cascade over large protests and mass demonstrations.

Police had sought council approval for the $88,000 purchase of two long-range acoustic devices commonly used to communicate with big crowds “to enhance public safety communication, emergency response, and lawful notification capabilities,” according to the council’s Oct. 27 agenda. The devices would be used “during events where it is crucial to the public that they are able to hear the commands being given during times of civil unrest, or other emergency situations,” police wrote in their request.

But the devices also are known for their shrill beeping noise to deter behavior in some of those crowds. Critics and those who filed lawsuits about the use of the devices during protests have argued the alert tone, or siren-like, ear-splitting sounds cause nausea or hearing damage. Notably, the LRAD was used in some cities like Portland during the George Floyd protests of 2020.

Communication through the LRAD device in question could reach up to nearly 6,000 feet, according to a data sheet by manufacturer Danimex Communication. Its maximum sound output can reach up to 150 decibels at 3 feet away, the data sheet says, which is considered a “dangerous” level without hearing protection by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Some Spokane residents, including local activists, brought the potential purchase to council’s attention and spoke during council’s designated time for public comment.

It prompted Councilman Paul Dillon to request a temporary deferment of the purchase so he could do more research, he said in a phone interview Tuesday. The attention and inquiries also prompted police to review modifications to the device to alleviate community concerns.

“It became very apparent that this is a problematic tool. There were cases of hearing loss, nausea, or how it had been deployed on protesters with a high -pitch frequency. Some departments were also looking at litigation. That really jumped out to me,” Dillon said. “Based on the feedback it seemed wise to indefinitely defer it. I reached out to Chief Kevin Hall and he was OK with that.”

Perhaps the most scrutinized part of the LRAD is a button on the device that emits a high-frequency “alert tone” that is disturbing to people in the immediate area of the device. The New York City Police Department in 2021 agreed to settle with a group of demonstrators and photographers who said they experienced migraines, sinus pain, facial pressure and ringing in their ears after exposure to a handheld LRAD in 2014.

The department later voluntarily agreed to limit their use of the alert tone going forward, the New York Times reported.

“When we asked in the meeting, SPD didn’t know if that order came with that feature,” Dillon said. “There was that ambiguity as well.”

That high-frequency sound is banned by Washington state law anyway, council members noted during a Monday agenda meeting, which is why Spokane Police Assistant Chief Steve Wohl said he would want to work with the LRAD manufacturer to get that tone removed before use. Wohl did not respond Tuesday for further comment.

“We believe it’s going to be positive down the road, but I think there’s a lot of questions about it. We want to make sure the tone is removed, make sure the community supports this item,” Wohl told council. “And that it is actually used as a tool to help the community versus just a police tool.”

Wohl said he has repeatedly been told citizens in mass demonstrations or in other police-involved situations have been unable to hear police orders at a certain distance. The device would solve that problem, he said. It may also be a helpful tool when issuing safety orders to residents of neighborhood, during a hostage situation or evacuation orders to people affected by wildfire.

Police had to go door-to-door to notify residents to leave the area during a wildland blaze that swept Latah Valley in 2023, which was a “painstaking process,” Dillon said Tuesday.

“I see the advantages of having a device that can help communication, but it would have to be an alternative device rather than this one,” he added.

Public Safety Committee Chair Zack Zappone, the original sponsor of the device, doesn’t see a need for it, he told The Spokesman-Review in a phone interview. The request appeared on the agenda because council has a standing default agreement with some department heads to get their requests on the council’s agenda without having to continually go to each council member to ask for permission.

It’s not a final approval, only a method to get to items on the agenda more efficiently, he said.

“The way (police) presented it sounded reasonable. We had a committee meeting, the public saw it and started reaching out. I asked if it was even really that necessary,” Zappone said. “We use megaphones right now. Is that broken? It seems to be working. I don’t actually see the need for an improved megaphone.”

During Monday’s council meeting, some speakers who gave public commentary about the LRAD took the time to instead blame the police department as a whole instead of the device itself, calling the department “violent” and “militarized.”

The Party of Socialism and Liberation for Spokane posted on Instagram on Tuesday that the devices are “used to violently suppress our movements for justice and liberation.”

Councilman Jonathan Bingle, who supported the purchase of the LRAD in October’s meeting, said Tuesday he believes the opposition to the LRADs isn’t because of the device, but because most of the activists who voiced concern about it dislike the police. One person testifying during open forum did casually throw out an “ACAB” following their speech, a vulgar acronym to express opposition to all police.

“I think they are greatly overblowing it,” Bingle said. “The LRAD is used to more clearly communicate with crowds. There is training that comes along with it. They think it will be used intentionally for harm, and that is a lie.”

Bingle also took issue with other council members supporting the indefinite deferment of the purchase. He said it feels like council agrees with the activists that believe Spokane police are trying to deliberately hurt people.

“This is because of the people who hate police,” he said. “It isn’t surprising to me at all with who opposed it … (They) are intentionally misrepresenting what this is and what it will do.”