Should Blue Chirpers be used?

by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition

Photo credit: Sebastian Sørensen

Should Blue Chirpers be used? What’s a Blue Chirper? According to its inventor and manufacturer, it’s a “non-aggressive security device that deters homeless individuals or looters from remaining on your property or other covered areas that are out of sight.” Longtime Santa Monica, California resident Stephen McMahon developed it after a burglary in his condominium’s storage room. He then commercialized the device, which combines a flashing blue light with an amplified cricket sound.

When stores in West Hollywood installed the devices, citizens were upset. They thought the devices were inhumane. City officials determined that no municipal code violation had occurred, but the retailers removed the devices anyway.

Police departments and the military have weaponized sound in sound cannons, technically known as Long Range Acoustic Devices or LRADs. As noted in this report, LRADs produce sufficient sound energy to cause auditory damage. The report also discusses the Acoustical Society of America’s policy statement about their use. 

Should sound be used as a weapon or even just as a deterrent? I’m not sure. What do you think?