Australia By mid-2016, most
Australian police forces had acquired LRADs (
Queensland Police said that they had been using it since 2009), and concerns were raised about their use for crowd control. However, before 2020, there was no use of the LRAD in public situations; most usage had been by the various police forces for communications during
natural disasters or for negotiations with
hostage-takers and it has been used at other anti-racism protests in Australia.
Czech Republic On June 26, 2015, Czech Special Forces Police may have deployed an LRAD 500X during anti-immigration and anti-Islam protests in
Brno, the second largest city in the
Czech Republic. Police in
Prague used a vehicle-mounted LRAD on November 17, 2020, to repeatedly alert protesters on Wenceslas Square to follow COVID restrictions and wear masks. On that day, police supervised several rallies, meetings and demonstrations. Thousands of participants gathered at the largest protests in the Old Town Square. The police and a
Prague City Hall representative used an LRAD to repeatedly call upon demonstrators to follow COVID public safety protocols and to comply with security measures. During a November 25, 2021 march from the center of Prague to the local soccer stadium for a
Europa Conference League match, Prague police and regional Czech law enforcement officers utilized vehicle mounted LRADs to broadcast frequent warnings against the use of pyrotechnics by the large crowds. During the New Year’s Eve celebrations in downtown Prague from December 31, 2021, to January 1, 2022, police officers used a vehicle-mounted LRAD to issue more than 500 warnings to people not to set off fireworks. A vehicle-mounted LRAD was deployed by police in Prague on March 11, 2023, to communicate to and warn away demonstrators from the National Museum.
Greece Hellenic Police acquired two LRAD systems to be used at the
Evros border. These were tested after the March
2020 migrant crisis at the border, triggered by the Turkish government. They are to be used as a deterrent against illegal border entry, as a notification system, as well as to handle aggressive actions against the
Hellenic Armed Forces.
Japan Japan's Coast Guard used Long Range Acoustic Devices and other methods to expel a North Korean fishing flotilla from its waters in September 2017. In February 2009, the Japanese whaling fleet operating in Antarctic waters near Australia installed LRADs on their vessels. The device was used against activists of the
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The Japanese fleet later escalated the use of LRAD, deploying it against a Sea Shepherd helicopter carrying a camera crew. Sea Shepherd noted that they had an LRAD of their own, but as of early 2010, had not put it into use other than to play a recording of "
Ride of the Valkyries" in the manner of attacking U.S. Army helicopters depicted in the 1979 film
Apocalypse Now.
New Zealand During the dispersion of New Zealand's parliament protest in March 2022, LRAD were used by New Zealand police against the protesters. A document released under the Official Information Act (OIA), revealed two long range acoustic devices (LRADs) were deployed at the Parliament protest on March 2.
Poland LRAD was present, but not used because of current legal regulations during protests in Poland, including
Million Marijuana March 2011 and Marsz Niepodległości (National Independence Day March) 2011 and 2012. Lacking a way to utilize the LRADs purchased to their full potential sparked an investigation suspecting corruption behind their acquisition. National Police Headquarters spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski defended the purchase of LRAD. He also stressed that the police decided to make this investment because, "We needed good sound reinforcement equipment. With numerous demonstrations and gatherings, police need a public address system that allows you to reach thousands of people." Municipal police in Gdańsk, Poznań, Kołobrzeg and other cities in Poland used LRAD systems to deliver COVID-19 notifications.
Serbia In December 2022
N1 reported that the
Ministry of Internal Affairs acquired LRAD systems. The Ministry of Internal Affairs did not confirm or deny the report. Opposition officials and Serbian rights groups stated that a military-grade sonic weapon was used during peaceful
Serbian anti-corruption protests on March 15, 2025. Serbian police and the defense ministry denied that the weapon was used,
Singapore LRAD is used by the Singapore Changi Airport to disperse birds and wildlife from runways.
Spain Local police in Leganés, Spain used a vehicle-mounted LRAD to deliver alerts and notifications to residents during the country-wide COVID-19 lockdown. According to Citizen Security, Communication and local government spokesman, Oscar Oliveira, "Because the acoustic device can be heard inside of houses, we can inform older residents with mobility issues that all municipal resources are available through the Citizen Attention Service by calling 010."
United Kingdom It was confirmed by the
Ministry of Defence on May 11, 2012, that an LRAD would be deployed in London during the
2012 Summer Olympic Games. It was spotted fixed to a landing craft on the
River Thames.
United States protest on November 17, 2011, near the city hall. An LRAD was present, but not used, during
protests of the
2004 Republican National Convention in
New York City. LRAD was present and used when the New York City Police department raided and destroyed the
Occupy Wall Street encampment from
Zuccotti Park to disrupt and disperse the crowd before arresting or ejecting them on the morning of 15 November 2011. On December 5, 2014, the
NYPD utilized an LRAD, notifying approximately 100 protestors to disperse, during the protest of the police killing of
Eric Garner in Midtown Manhattan. The NYPD used a Long Range Acoustic Device during the Baltimore solidarity rally in Union Square on April 29, 2015. An NYPD pickup truck equipped with an LRAD parked near protesters and broadcast a looped warning message about staying off the streets and not blocking the sidewalks. Rochester NY police used verbal warnings and an LRAD to help disperse disorderly crowds during the August 2019 Puerto Rican Festival. Rochester, NY police used a Long Range Acoustic Device to make announcements to protesters that they were unlawfully in the roadway and obstructing traffic on September 12, 2020. The device was also used at the September 16, 2020 protest in front of Rochester city hall. The
Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department used a LRAD at the January 21,
2017 Women's March. Protesters at the June 1, 2020 Washington, D.C. George Floyd protests said police gave little or no warning before employing aggressive tactics against them. A 2015 settlement requires federal police to give large crowds several loud dispersal orders before deploying chemical irritants and other dispersion tools. Using an LRAD to issue loud protest dispersal orders would have complied with the 2015 settlement requirement. In September 2020, it was revealed that federal officials had explored the use of the device and the
Active Denial System ("heat ray") to disperse
civilians protesting outside the White House in June of that year, but had been advised that the
National Guard was not currently in possession of either device. LRAD was reportedly used by the Oakland Police Department during the clearance of the
Occupy Oakland encampment on the morning of 25 October 2011. Police in San Diego, California, used an LRAD on May 27, 2016, to order anti-Trump protesters to disperse. The Mendocino County (California) Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of a Long Range Acoustic Device for the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office on April 18, 2017. Sheriff Tom Allman said the device would aid in searches for missing persons, most often hunters and mushroom pickers, which cost the county tens of thousands of dollars. He said the LRAD might have made the intense 2011 manhunt for Aaron Bassler a little easier, and that it could be used to warn of a tsunami. MCSO found LRAD useful out of a low-flying plane, and it could help in a barricaded-person situation to communicate from the outside of the building. The Greensboro, North Carolina Police Department (GPD) purchased an LRAD 300X and demonstrated it for reporters in November 2015. Jonathan Franks, a GPD captain, said that it could be used for alerts for everything from riots to missing children to weather disasters, and that it could save lives in some cases. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina Police Department Crisis Intervention Team and SWAT negotiators used a long-range acoustic device to talk a man down from an energized electrical tower. The Phoenix, Arizona city council approved the purchase of two LRAD 500X systems in November 2018 "to give clear and concise messages to groups of people whenever we find it necessary". Police utilized a Long Range Acoustic device to declare an unlawful assembly in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, on May 28, 2020, during the
George Floyd protests. Multiple announcements were made in English and Spanish. The Salisbury, Maryland Police Department acquired an LRAD in October 2013 with proceeds from their speed cameras. On February 17, 2017, the Princess Anne Police Department deployed its LRAD system at the request of the Maryland State Police to disperse an unruly concert crowd on the campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The
Columbus, Ohio Police Department (CPD) demonstrated a Long Range Acoustic Device to the local media on November 21, 2016. CPD expects to use the device for crowd control, barricaded suspect operations, and to communicate to residents during emergencies and natural disasters. The Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department purchased Long Range Acoustic Devices to improve the department's ability to issue dispersal orders clearly over long distances. The purchases resulted from the department's after-action report of the May 30, 2020 riot in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The
Seattle Police Department in Washington purchased an LRAD in response to claims that it did not adequately communicate orders to demonstrators during the summer 2020 protests. SPD's use of its LRAD was alleged to have caused ear damage to a peaceful demonstrator, although an internal SPD review deemed the allegations to be unsustained. After receiving feedback from protesters who said commands from on-scene officers were not clear or loud enough, the Seattle, Washington mayor's office recommended purchasing an LRAD. LRADs were used by the Pittsburgh PD in Pennsylvania during protests at the G20 Summit in September 2009. This was the first time the LRAD was used during a protest in the U.S. LRAD was deployed during a march against
NATO's actions and policies in Chicago, Illinois on May 20, 2012, at Michigan Ave. & Cermak. St. Louis County police used LRAD during protests surrounding the
police shooting of Michael Brown in
Ferguson, Missouri. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina police obtained two LRAD systems through a federal grant in March 2015. Myrtle Beach police captain Marty Brown told the Myrtle Beach city council that "his department is getting the LRADs to enhance their communication capabilities be it with large crowds or for emergency announcements such as evacuation orders." The New Jersey State Police used an armored-vehicle-mounted LRAD to communicate with crowds denied entry to a June 7, 2015 concert after they began throwing bottles and tried to rush the gates outside MetLife Stadium. Police from several agencies, including North Dakota state troopers, the National Guard, and other law enforcement agencies from surrounding counties and states deployed two LRADs to clear a protest camp and blockades along Highway 1806. "Long Range Acoustic Devices, which emit an ear-splitting whine, were used intermittently throughout the day" one reporter wrote. An LRAD was present again on November 20, 2016, at the bridge just north of the protesters camp on highway 1806. During the same period, the LRAD was used at a protest in front of the Arkansas State Capitol. The
Portland Police Bureau in Oregon used a vehicle-mounted LRAD during the
protests there following the
murder of George Floyd on June 4, 2020, and on other occasions during the protests. A
BearCat-mounted LRAD was used to emit voice messages and high-pitched sirens in
Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 24, 2020, in front of the Kenosha County Courthouse to disperse crowds assembled in Civic Center Park as part of the
Jacob Blake protests. On March 6, 2021, the Boulder Police Department used a toned warble noise from an LRAD in an effort to disperse a crowd of up to 800 students from the
University of Colorado Boulder. The University Hill Incident occurred when code enforcement and members of Boulder Police's Neighborhood Impact Team were unable to disperse partygoers who were congregating against Boulders public health order. LRAD was used after students and other partygoers began throwing rocks at SWAT vehicles and officers. On April 12, 2021, the Brooklyn Center, Minnesota Police Department deployed a vehicle mounted LRAD outside of its headquarters to announce curfew violations and dispersal orders to a large crowd protesting the death of Daunte Wright. On July 3, 2021, Massachusetts State Police utilized an LRAD to secure a group of 11 suspects involved in the
Sovereign Citizen movement. The group identified themselves as part of the "Rise of the Moors" movement, or "Moorish Americans". The self styled militia group was traveling between Rhode Island and Maine when an MSP trooper came across their convoy refueling. The group had multiple firearms in their possession, and admitted to not having proper carrying requirements. Several fled into the surrounding forest, at which point the LRAD was deployed. The group was taken into custody without further incident. The Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Sheriff's Office Tactical Team used a vehicle-mounted LRAD on November 22, 2021, to serve a search warrant on a residence suspected of being used for drug trafficking. On January 26th, 2026, a live YouTube stream by IRT Media captured law enforcement's deployment of a directional LRAD against Minneapolis demonstrators protesting United States federal immigration enforcement operations, following the killings of
Alex Pretti and
Renée Good by federal agents. The LRAD's activation was preceded with the phrase, "This is a test of the Long-Range Acoustic Device, LRAD: one, two, three". ==Mass notification==