SPOKANE, WA – The Spokane Police Department confirmed Friday that it’s no longer purchasing two long-range acoustic devices, at least for now, as the city council responds to community concerns.
Several residents testified against the grant-funded purchase on Oct. 27, when it first appeared on the Spokane City Council’s consent agenda. Long-range acoustic devices, or LRADs, produce loud warning tones to attract public attention to verbal commands issued by law enforcement in different situations.
Some residents called LRADs “dangerous noise weapons,” and the council voted that day to defer final consideration until Nov. 10 so SPD could draft an implementation policy. However, Councilmember Paul Dillon posted to Bluesky on Friday that he plans to request his peers pull it from Monday’s agenda.
“We will be requesting it get pulled from the agenda. Chief [Kevin] Hall confirmed his approval,” Dillon posted.
The LRAD 450XL, which SPD wants to acquire, can emit a maximum peak output of 150 decibels, with a maximum continuous output of 145 dB. Those volumes exceed federal guidance for avoiding hearing damage without protective equipment, raising concerns around using LRADs without policies in place.
SPD spokesman Officer Daniel Strassenberg confirmed Hall’s position in an email to The Center Square on Friday. Strassenberg said the department is still evaluating related policies and may return to the council with another request. The council will vote on Dillon’s deferral next Monday.
Dillon told The Center Square that LRADs offer benefits to public safety, but he wants to sort out the legal considerations first. SPD went door-to-door in 2023, urging residents to evacuate Latah Valley as wildfires approached. He wants LRADs for situations like that, but cautioned against using them during protests.
“Three days after SPD presented their request, Genasys announced a $9 million purchase of the same LRAD 450XLs by the U.S. Army for remotely operated weapon systems,” local activist David Brookbank testified on Oct. 27. “These same highly controversial weapons were used against lawful protesters.”
Notably, Brookbank shares a child with Mayor Lisa Brown and participated in the June 11 protests in Spokane with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. He cited several demonstrations last week where the use of LRADs led to lawsuits, referring to them as weapons that suppress the First Amendment.
SPD and other agencies arrested dozens of June 11 protesters after they blocked federal agents from leaving a local facility, some of whom are also facing federal charges. According to the Oct. 27 agenda, SPD intends to use LRADs to achieve voluntary compliance before deploying crowd-dispersal tactics.
Some of the individuals arrested on and after June 11 are facing charges for assaulting an officer. Brookbank was one of hundreds of protesters that day, but was not arrested, though he has been arrested at other demonstrations in the past, according to reporting by The Spokesman-Review.
“This will put us in compliance with the legal requirements to have appropriate notifications given to citizens in areas for them to disperse prior to chemical agents being utilized,” according to the agenda.
Seattle banned LRADs after the 2020 George Floyd protests, though a federal court later overturned that law. New York City also faced lawsuits after using the devices against protesters in 2014. The city settled in 2021 and agreed to limit the volume following allegations of hearing loss, tinnitus and migraines.
While the council voted unanimously last week to defer a final vote on the $88,000 purchase until Nov. 10, not everyone is in agreement about another deferral. Councilmember Jonathan Bingle, half of the conservative minority, told The Center Square that LRADs are a necessary tool for dealing with crowds.
Councilmember Michael Cathcart, the other half of the council minority, didn’t respond to requests for comment before publishing. Bingle rejected claims that LRADs are a weapon blasted at protesters to inflict pain. He said they are just a “loud speaker” that SPD would use to communicate with crowds.
Will Hulings, another resident who previously served as vice president of the local Proud Boys chapter, testified in support of the purchase on Oct. 27. Bingle said he hasn’t heard anyone else express similar support for the devices, but he has heard concerns from Brookbank and other social activists in town.
“They’re exactly who you would expect,” Bingle told The Center Square. “Your typical, you know, upset with capitalism, upset with western values … it’s that group, yeah, so okay, it doesn’t surprise me that they don’t like it because they don’t want the police to have anything — they don’t want police at all.”
