{"id":68095,"date":"2020-09-17T05:48:32","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T05:48:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/09\/17\/report-feds-considered-using-heat-ray-on-dc-protesters\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:36:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:36:39","slug":"report-feds-considered-using-heat-ray-on-dc-protesters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/09\/17\/report-feds-considered-using-heat-ray-on-dc-protesters\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Feds considered using \u2018heat ray\u2019 on DC protesters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 A military whistleblower says federal officials sought some unusual crowd control devices \u2014 including one that\u2019s been called a \u201cheat ray\u201d \u2014 to deal with protesters outside the White House on the June day that law enforcement forcibly cleared Lafayette Square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In written responses to questions from a House committee, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2020\/07\/27\/dc-national-guard-officer-challenges-account-of-violent-clearing-of-protesters-in-lafayette-square\/\" target=_blank>National Guard Maj. Adam DeMarco<\/a> said the Defense Department\u2019s lead military police officer for the National Capital Region sent an email asking if the D.C. National Guard possessed a long-range acoustic device \u2014 used to transmit loud noises \u2014 or an \u201cActive Denial System,\u201d the so-called heat ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DeMarco said he responded that the Guard was not in possession of either device. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2020\/09\/16\/913748800\/military-police-leaders-weighed-deploying-heat-ray-against-d-c-protesters?utm_term=nprnews&#038;utm_source=twitter.com&#038;utm_campaign=npr&#038;utm_medium=social\" target=_blank>National Public Radio<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/dc-protest-lafayette-square\/2020\/09\/16\/ca0174e4-f788-11ea-89e3-4b9efa36dc64_story.html\" target=_blank>The Washington Post<\/a> first reported DeMarco\u2019s testimony. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/07\/27\/dc-national-guard-officer-challenges-account-of-violent-clearing-of-protesters-in-lafayette-square\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1216828184.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">D.C. National Guard officer challenges account of violent clearing of protesters in Lafayette Square<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">DeMarco\u2019s account was released in written testimony for his scheduled appearance Tuesday before the House Natural Resources Committee\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use of either the acoustic device or the Active Denial System would have been a significant escalation of crowd control for the Guard members, particularly since the defense officials ordered that the Guard troops not be armed when they went into D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Law enforcement personnel were armed. And although active-duty military troops were sent to the region, they remained at bases outside the District in case they were needed but never actually entered the District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1254\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20210598973777.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"National Guard Maj. Adam DeMarco\" class=\"wp-image-75273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20210598973777.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20210598973777.jpg.jpg?resize=300,188 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20210598973777.jpg.jpg?resize=768,482 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20210598973777.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,642 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20210598973777.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,963 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">National Guard Maj. Adam DeMarco testifies during a July 28, 2020, House Natural Resources Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on actions taken on June 1 at Lafayette Square in Washington. (Bill Clark\/Pool via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Active Denial System was developed by the military nearly two decades ago, and was unveiled to the public around 2007. It\u2019s not clear that it\u2019s ever actually been used in combat, although there are reports it has deployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/03\/22\/the-future-of-nonlethal-laser-weapons-dazzling-lights-to-talking-plasma-balls\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Soldier-dazzler.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The future of nonlethal laser weapons: Dazzling lights to talking plasma balls<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Troops have seen nonlethal weapons alternatives grow from flashlights to a host of visual, audio and physical tools.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The system, which emits a directed beam of energy that causes a burning heat sensation, was considered a non-lethal way to control crowds, particularly when it may be difficult to tell the enemy from innocent civilians in war zones. Use of the device appeared to stall amid questions about whether it actually caused more serious injuries or burns than initially thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Long Range Acoustic Device, also called a sound cannon, sends out loud messages or sounds and has been used by law enforcement to disperse crowds. The U.S. military has, in recent years, ordered the LRAD for the Navy\u2019s Military Sealift Command to be used by ships to hail or warn other vessels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3545758.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"A U.S. soldier utilizes a Long Range Acoustic Device 500 while conducting a crowd riot control scenario during a Kosovo Force mission rehearsal exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, July 5, 2017.\" class=\"wp-image-75275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3545758.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3545758.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3545758.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3545758.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3545758.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A U.S. soldier utilizes a Long Range Acoustic Device 500 while conducting a crowd riot control scenario during a Kosovo Force mission rehearsal exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, July 5, 2017. (Spc. Randy Wren\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DeMarco testified in late July before the House Natural Resources Committee, which is investigating the use of force against crowds in Lafayette Square that night. His remarks on the crowd control devices came in response to follow-up questions from the committee. DeMarco\u2019s lawyer sent his answers to the committee on Aug. 28; NPR posted the document online Wednesday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration has said that vicious attacks by protesters led federal forces to turn on what appeared to be a largely peaceful crowd June 1 in the square in front of the White House. Law enforcement and security officers that night clubbed and punched protesters and unleashed mounted officers and chemical agents against them in one of the most controversial confrontations at the height of this year\u2019s nationwide protests over the killing of Black people at the hands of police. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/06\/11\/milley-says-he-was-wrong-to-accompany-trump-on-church-walk-during-george-floyd-protests\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1216828184.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Milley says he was wrong to accompany Trump on church walk during George Floyd protests<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cI should not have been there,\u201d the Joint Chiefs chairman said in remarks to a National Defense University commencement ceremony.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The forceful clearing of Lafayette Square, long one of the nation\u2019s most prominent venues for demonstrations, came minutes before President Donald Trump appeared in the area, on his way to stage a photo event in front of a historic church nearby. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A military whistleblower says federal officials sought some unusual crowd control devices \u2014 including one that\u2019s been called a \u201cheat ray\u201d \u2014 to deal with protesters outside the White House on the June day that law enforcement forcibly cleared Lafayette Square.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":75271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":86,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"4":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","left-column","home","disaster","your-air-force"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"5":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","left-column","home","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","disaster","your-army"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"6":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","home","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","disaster","middle-column"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","home","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","disaster","middle-column"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"}}},"categories":[28,29,116,117,15,86,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1432],"class_list":["post-68095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-disaster","category-home","category-left-column","category-middle-column","category-news","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"OTFX66GHT5GC5OU4TWYURZJ3Z4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/09\/17\/report-feds-considered-using-heat-ray-on-dc-protesters\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Report: Feds considered using \u2018heat ray\u2019 on DC protesters - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A military whistleblower says federal officials sought some unusual crowd control devices \u2014 including one that\u2019s been called a \u201cheat ray\u201d \u2014 to deal with protesters outside the White House on the June day that law enforcement forcibly cleared Lafayette Square.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Report: Feds considered using \u2018heat ray\u2019 on DC protesters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A military whistleblower says federal officials sought some unusual crowd control devices \u2014 including one that\u2019s been called a \u201cheat ray\u201d \u2014 to deal with protesters outside the White House on the June day that law enforcement forcibly cleared Lafayette Square.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/09\/17\/report-feds-considered-using-heat-ray-on-dc-protesters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Military Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-17T05:48:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T07:36:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. 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