Law Enforcement
Law enforcement agencies in the Czech Republic are using LRAD communication systems in everyday duties and elevated risk operations. Legacy vehicle P.A. systems have limited broadcast range and poor voice intelligibility. LRAD systems project live or pre-recorded messages from close range to 1,700 meters with industry-leading vocal clarity.
LRADs mounted on police vans and other vehicles enable Czech police to broadcast alerts, notifications, warnings and instructions that are clearly heard and understood inside buildings and vehicles, and over crowd and traffic noise.
By providing Czech police an advanced system to communicate to individuals, groups, and large gatherings, LRAD protects the public, safeguards officers, and defuses potentially dangerous situations.
Demonstrations and Rallies
Demonstrators attempted to forcefully enter the National Museum after a large protest and rally ended on March 11, 2023. A man with a megaphone encouraged the participants leaving Wenceslas Square to go and take down the Ukrainian flag from the front of the National Museum.
His challenge was accepted by several hundred people who demanded to enter the building. They were prevented from doing so as Prague police repeatedly used a vehicle-mounted LRAD to tell demonstrators to leave the area. After several warnings, people in front of the National Museum left the area.
Protests
Several hundred people gathered in Prague at Wenceslas Square and the Old Town Square in March 2021 to protest COVID restrictions on public gatherings. Law enforcement officers repeatedly called on protesters to comply with public safety measures and regulations through two LRAD systems mounted on police vans.
The protesters were asked to leave the square, with the police announcing available exit routes. After multiple warnings and notifications, an illegal protest was declared and the protesters dispersed.
Public Safety Hazards
Prague firefighting units were called to battle a large textile and furniture warehouse fire that threatened several neighborhoods in April 2021. As the cloud of smoke began to spread, police drove through surrounding streets and alerted people to stay indoors. The police chief also used an LRAD equipped van to warn area residents of the potentially hazardous smoke.
Activist Actions
Climate activists built pallet platforms and secured themselves in, on and around the Czech National Bank building in Prague in June 2021. Police used an LRAD to communicate ‘Leave or Be Arrested’ orders. Activists who obeyed left the area and those that did not were arrested.
Marches and Sports Events
Police officers from the KŘP Zlín Region prepared appropriate security measures for the football match between Slovácko in Uherské Hradiště and Plovdiv in Bulgaria. Fans from the domestic Slovácko region gathered in the center of Uherské Hradiště and marched together to the stadium. Along the way, an LRAD sound system was used to remind fans to march on the sidewalks, not to enter the streets or discharge pyrotechnics.
Training Exercises
Law enforcement units and anti-conflict teams from all 14 Czech regions gathered in Jaroměř at the Josefov Fortress in September 2022 to participate in protest, activist action, and large sporting event preparedness and training. Police units from Prague, Zlín, Brno, and Frýdek-Místek supplied their LRAD systems for crowd communication throughout the exercises.
Celebrations
The City of Prague bans the public use pyrotechnics during New Years Eve, other celebrations, and large gatherings in the city center. To enforce the ban, Prague police use LRAD systems to broadcast verbal warnings in multiple languages to remind revelers and crowds that the use of fireworks is strictly prohibited. LRAD broadcasts are clearly heard and understood above large crowd and other background noise.
