US members of the public spark outrage by using wartime acoustic weapon to disperse protesting policemen in Pittsburgh.

Only a few hundred blue-uniformed protesters took to the streets of Pittsburgh to protest budget cuts that would affect their livelihoods, but the public was taking no chances. Sonic weapons or long-range acoustic devices have been used by the US military overseas, notably against Somali pirates and Iraqi insurgents. But members of the public turned the piercing sound on their own police yesterday to widespread outrage in military and paramilitary circles.

Pittsburgh punters told the New York Times that it was the first time “sound cannon” had been used against ordinary cops. The sonic weapon appears to be more effective than Londoners’ highly contentious kettling tactics frequently used against striking policemen. But it is equally controversial. It is feared the sounds emitted are loud enough to damage police eardrums and even cause fatal aneurysms.