Toronto Police Get 'Sound Cannons' for G20
by Jennifer Yang
Riotous protesters marching at the G20 summit next month may be greeted with ear-splitting "sound cannons," the latest Toronto police tool for quelling unruly crowds.
Toronto police have purchased four, long-range acoustic devices (LRAD) - often referred to as sound guns or sound cannons - for the upcoming June 26-27 summit, the Star has learned.
Purchased this month,
the LRADs will become a permanent fixture in Toronto law enforcement, said police spokesperson Const. Wendy Drummond.
"They were purchased as part of the G20 budget process," Drummond said. "It's definitely going to be beneficial for us, not only in the G20 but in any future large gatherings."
Drummond stressed the devices will primarily be used by police as a "communication tool." The devices double as loudspeakers and can blast booming, directional messages or emergency notifications in 50 different languages; Drummond said Toronto police have used one of the devices already while executing a search warrant this month.
But
critics say they are really non-lethal weapons and infringe upon protester rights.
Originally designed for the U.S. Navy, LRADs can emit ear-blasting sounds so high in frequency they transcend normal thresholds of pain. While they are used everywhere from Iraq to the high seas for repelling pirates, LRADs are being increasingly employed as a crowd-control device and at last year's G20 summit in Pittsburgh, police used them on protesters before deploying tear gas and stun grenades.more...
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/05/27-0
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