USA Today: The federal government is increasing the penalties for people caught shining laser beams at commercial planes in response to a steep increase in the number of incidents.
The Federal Aviation Administration will consider someone who hits a plane with a laser to be "interfering" with a flight crew, the same statute used to protect pilots and flight attendants from hijackers, the agency said it will announce today.
The agency has no authority to prosecute violators criminally, but it can charge them under civil statutes and assess fines up to $11,000. Last year, the FAA received 2,836 reports that planes were hit with lasers, nearly double the total in 2009 and 10 times as many as 2005.
"Our top priority is protecting the safety of the traveling public," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a prepared statement. "We will not hesitate to take tough action against anyone who threatens the safety of our passengers, pilots and air transportation system." Pointing a laser at an aircraft is illegal in some states and legislation pending in Congress would make it a federal crime, but the FAA action makes it easier to penalize violators.
"Shining a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft is not a joke. These lasers can temporarily blind a pilot and make it impossible to safely land the aircraft, jeopardizing the safety of the passengers and people on the ground," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said. Green-colored laser pointers can cause a distracting flash of light in the cockpit at up to 2 miles away, according to FAA studies. At closer ranges, they can create short-lived blindness as the eye adjusts to the flash.
Laser pointers are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and have limited power. Much stronger lasers that can severely damage the eye are widely available for sale even though there is little use for them outside scientific research, according to the Laser Institute of America.
Incidents continue to pile up, according to federal and local officials. A joint helicopter team serving Southern California cities Burbank and Glendale has logged four cases in the past month, two of which resulted in arrests, said police Sgt. Steve Robertson. "It just keeps happening," Robertson said. "Unfortunately, it's just a matter of time before someone crashes as a result of it. We've been fortunate up to now."
Federal and local law enforcement agencies have had some success by forming laser working groups to improve cooperation. A team in Sacramento has arrested 22 people, 19 of whom were convicted, in the past two years, according to Department of Homeland Security data.
This year, Phoenix and the Dallas-Fort Worth areas lead the nation with 45 incidents each.
