General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsICE is now using LRAD to disperse crowds. How to defend against it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LiveProtestUpdates/comments/1qodxzm/they_are_now_using_lrad_on_protestors_in/LRAD safety sheet for protesters
https://www.maximumrocknroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/LRADS.pdf
Comments from the Reddit thread:
- Headphone style ear protection + plexiglass riot shield is the best protection. Curved riot shield can be reversed and aimed back at LRAD to reflect sound waves.
- Start building shields for frontliners
- One used plastic 55-gallon drum (once cleaned) becomes 4 shields. Cut off lid & bottom for 2 smaller ones & cut drum vertically for 2 large curved shields. Just add handles. I see them on marketplace for $10-25
- Satellite dishes work extremely well. Any parabolic dish made of a solid material.
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SunSeeker
(57,789 posts)
1WorldHope
(1,885 posts)Sweet Jebus.
rampartd
(4,076 posts)shielding the operators may not have been a high priority on that model.
i can also see this being used in interrogations
i'm thinking about dimensions of a parabolic shield that could, maybe, echo the shit back at em?
FHRRK
(1,390 posts)That it was Russians in Cuba and Putin gave it to Trump.
Speculation, but worth pondering.
rampartd
(4,076 posts)
Blue Full Moon
(3,250 posts)rampartd
(4,076 posts)might not have thoughtto not run directly away. had wondered about effectiveness of earplugs
is this what they used on maduro?
if they use gas try to move upwind
RoseTrellis
(126 posts)Bring earplugs, but keep in mind they alone will not be
sufficient protection for prolonged periods of time. Inventor
Woody Norris said in a 2008 AP interview, “What if they
wear earplugs or put their fingers in their ears? The device
is designed with sufficient intensity... That doesn’t do a
heck of a lot.” Despite that, the LRAD 100x, 500x, and
1000x instruction manuals indicate that the operator (who
is standing behind the beam) and people way off to the
side of the beam should wear hearing protection (such as
foam plugs). Having them will be better than nothing, but
do not rely on them solely.
jmbar2
(7,757 posts)https://nypost.com/2026/01/10/world-news/us-used-powerful-sonic-weapon-in-venezuela-during-raid-to-capture-madouro-incredible-witness-account/
gopiscrap
(24,573 posts)usonian
(23,913 posts)yeah i got you so first lrad stands for long range acoustic device it was developed for the military to send loud long-range messages either through a microphone or pre-recorded and to work as a crowd disbursement tool it does crowd disbursement by playing a very loud set of sounds that are at a decibel count and a frequency that can be disorienting and downright harmful to humans we're talking loud enough to cause someone to become disoriented confused giving them temporary or even long-term hearing damage and if you've been exposed to it long enough you can actually experience blood coming out of your ears and there are a few ways that you can mitigate this and protect yourself against it but first i'm going to show you an lrad and while they have different sets of sounds depending on the model of lrad they use this way you can actually see what one looks like and hear what it sounds like so this is your headphone and volume warning it's going to be about a five second clip coming up next
[Music] all right i'm not going to play that sound the rest of this video so you can go back to headphones a normal volume now but that's what they look like and they're going to be mounted on top of vehicles as you can see from the hands on each side there's actually a person there focusing the direction in which it goes and how effective this is against you depends on a few different factors like i said it is directionally focused so the person operating it has a viewfinder and crosshair so they can aim the device but you can use that to your advantage
if you're off to the sides or even behind it while you will still hear the sounds it will not cause as much disorientation or damage but the decibel levels are still loud enough that you may still get the ringing in your ears so that means one of the main advantages for you in defending against this is distance and direction the further you are away from the device the less it's going to affect you but that also means since it's directionally focused when you see it and they start activating it don't just turn around and run straight away from it treat it like a riptide in the ocean
if you're running away from it you are still in the directional path of the audio waves you want to first run perpendicular to it to get out of the line of fire and then you can retreat a solid material can help block some of the sound waves you want to find cover get something between you and the device such as a wall if you think one of these devices is going to be used at a protest you're going to you need to bring hearing protection and you wanted the highest decibel rating that you can find cotton balls and noise cancelling headphones will not work noise cancelling headphones cancel out different frequency than what lrads operate on so no bows once they bring this out they're not going to stop using it until the crowd's fully dispersed so this is where pre-protest planning comes in before you start protesting you should have designated fallback and rally points not just for the protest as a whole but the group that you specifically came with and not just one multiple that way when this device comes out you can fall back to the predetermined rally point regroup and plan how you're going to proceed to continue your protest
markodochartaigh
(5,175 posts)LRAD has a range of 8,900 meters for intelligible speech and a maximum output of 12 decibels at one meter. It can cause pain at 20 meters and permanent hearing loss at close range (5 meters or less)."
https://phr.org/our-work/resources/health-impacts-of-crowd-control-weapons-acoustic-weapons/
Wednesdays
(21,792 posts)12 decibels is about the level of a gentle wind blowing leaves.
markodochartaigh
(5,175 posts)But I just copied from the article I linked. I thought that maybe that was the decibel level for the operator.
leftstreet
(39,276 posts)JokeHer
(25 posts)Body cameras, cause well, ya know. Priorities.
newdeal2
(4,969 posts)ICE is funded like one of the biggest armies in the world.
MineralMan
(150,781 posts)I think I would have heard about this. I have not heard anything about LRAD being used anywhere in the Minneapolis area.
What is your source for the actual use on the ground here? Please link to anything that says it is currently being used. Thanks.
jmbar2
(7,757 posts)If you look towards the left, at 1:54:09, you can see the square grey device on a white truck.
Then, at 1:58:51, they announce they will deploy it.
Don't know if it was just a warning. Didn't seem to have much effect except to push people back a bit.
sl8
(17,036 posts)Last edited Tue Jan 27, 2026, 03:21 PM - Edit history (1)
The speaker in that video identifies himself as State Patrol. Also, all the articles I've read about the crowd dispersal last night indicates that the arrests and crowd dispersal were accomplished by Maple Grove PD and Minnesota State Patrol.
Have you seen information about ICE being involved (other than staying in the hotel)?
On edit:
Maple Grove PD also said that Minnesota DNR, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and Hennepin Public Order Group were involved.
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1314613007370960&set=a.244681351030803
MineralMan
(150,781 posts)
Liberal In Texas
(16,057 posts)This is pretty much fueled by rumors. Somebody heard something or heard about it on social media.
With everybody and their dog having a camera on their smart phones I would think we would have seen some actual evidence of this; people writhing in pain on the ground.
I remain skeptical.
jmbar2
(7,757 posts)DoBW
(3,108 posts)earplugs and headphones (hesaring protectors)
Hugin
(37,567 posts)Most of the defeats for the LRADs magnify the effects of the microwaves. Pretty fucking insidious. The modern version of spraying crowds with water cannons and arguably as lethal for those who have vulnerabilities.
Key indicator of when this system is being deployed is the disappearance of the ICEzi from the front. No guarantees there, tho. This particularly homicidal regime the Republicans have going has no hesitation to nuking their own troops.
I thought it was important enough for me to break my self imposed silence after the murder of Good and Pretti to relay these insights. Especially since that asshole Trump couldn’t keep quiet about the fact that these systems are being used.
SergeStorms
(20,130 posts)is using this against it's own citizens, who are peacefully protesting, is unbelievable.
I'm 76 yrs. old, and I never thought I'd see a day when fascism raised its ugly head in our country to such a degree.
I hate Donald Trump and the far-right with the intensity of a million suns.
MichMan
(16,792 posts)You realize it was Minnesota local police, not ICE, right? See post #26
Maru Kitteh
(31,362 posts)The Governor, the Mayor and Ellison can’t keep carrying this alone! WHERE IS THE CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP? WHAT IS THEIR FUCKING PLAN ALREADY?
JFC. They are literally murdering us in the streets in broad daylight. Where are you?
MichMan
(16,792 posts)ICE had nothing to do with this; it was local Minnesota police using it. See post #26
James48
(5,122 posts)Attacking Anericans.
Be sure to note the time and place they use it - for the trials.
Jim__
(15,119 posts)bluestarone
(21,519 posts)I mean they would at the very least WARN it's citizens of its usage. So we;ll see how this works out.
aggiesal
(10,614 posts)they were used in Baghdad, Afghanistan & Pittsburgh to disperse people.
2 were war zones, while Pittsburgh was for a G2 Summit..
These can definitely do ear damage.
This administrations have no morals.
MichMan
(16,792 posts)According to post #26, ICE had nothing to do with it; it was local Minnesota police
aggiesal
(10,614 posts)I hadn't read the comments before I posted my response.
I meant Mierda47's administration, assuming that CBP or ICEstapo had the LRAD.
I don't believe local law enforcement should ever have military grade weaponry.
To me it represents that our tax dollars are being used against us.
Maggiemayhem
(887 posts)They used at a G20 in Pittsburgh in 2009.My daughter was a freshman at Pitt. They made the mistake of using rent a cops with no connection to community. Those cops ,many from Chicago went after little white overachievers. They sprayed the dorm windows with rubber bullets. The freshman dorm called towers sits on Fifth along with a hospital and this was where the LRAD was. My daughter who had chronic ear infections had discharge from her ears. Police need to be vetted ,you can not just use anybody. Also,a physiological test.
Warpy
(114,453 posts)Fun video using a backyard LRAD type setup but not quite the same sound pressure the weapon uses. It's something to consider, although I'd hate to see this thing deployed in any city, anywhere.
What would I do? Run away, of course. Failing that and because my running days are over, I'd combine cheap ;earplugs with headsets and either light plastic or sheet metal formed into a parabolic reflector. Then leave ASAP.
Melon
(1,139 posts)This sounds relatively useless to me while requiring the person to stand in the energy waves.
I wouldn’t wish tinnitus on anyone.
I have a hard time with some loud sounds due to tinnitus, but sound is not only transmitted air to ear. Loud sounds can also come through your bone structures to the ear.
sl8
(17,036 posts)By Derek James
January 27, 2026 / 5:42 PM CST / CBS Minnesota
Dozens of protesters were detained Monday night after making a lot of noise outside a hotel where they believed the Border Patrol commander was staying.
Something troopers threatened to use to clear the crowd made a lot of ears perk up. It's called a "long range acoustic device," or LRAD.
Minnesota State Patrol troopers used a powerful sound system first used by the military in Maple Grove, Minnesota, to communicate and disperse noisy protesters.
"The LRAD is like a loudspeaker, but it focuses the sound in a narrow cone, so that if you're inside the cone, it's extremely loud," said retired Marine Colonel Mark Cancian, a senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
[...]
MichMan
(16,792 posts)So it's not ICE, but the Minnesota State Patrol using it. OP needs to correct their post.