Laser Beams Aimed at Coast Guard Three Times in Three Weeks
South Florida Sun-Sentinel | Jun 03, 2015 | by Wayne K. Roustan
Laser pointers targeting U.S. Coast Guard vessels and aircraft have prompted a warning from the agency that stiff fines and prison time await those caught using the devices in a dangerous manner.
The most recent incident occurred Monday near Sanibel Island off Florida's west coast when an 87-foot Coast Guard patrol boat was hit with a green laser that came from land.
Also on Monday, an MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew reported being struck by a green laser originating from land one nautical mile south of Punta Salina, Puerto Rico.
And on May 10, a Coast Guard cutter reported a laser strike near the Venetian Causeway in Miami while the crew was conducting a safety inspection of another boat, Petty Officer Mark Barney said.
"We always consider one [laser strike] to be too many, but when we have two in a 24-hour period that's something we definitely want to talk about," he said.
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The Coast Guard is warning laser handlers that pointing a beam at any aircraft is a federal crime punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and a five-year prison term, whether or not it was intentional.
"Chances are they are not trying to do anything malicious," he said. "But doing it to someone's face is always dangerous, especially when that person is piloting an aircraft."
During the past year, at least two South Florida men were accused of pointing laser devices at helicopters used by the sheriff's offices in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
In both cases pilots were able to pinpoint the source of the lasers, but Barney says it's difficult, "especially when it pops up for only a few seconds."
"That's all it takes, just a few seconds for it to flash in someone's eye and disorient a pilot," he said. "It's definitely not a good combination."
There were no reported injuries from these three laser incidents, but the Coast Guard is continuing to investigate.
Inexpensive, hand-held laser pointers can extend a beam over two miles. Laser strikes have been linked to vision impairment that includes afterimage, flash blindness, temporary loss of night vision and permanent eyesight damage in some cases, the Coast Guard said.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/06/03/laser-beams-aimed-at-coast-guard-three-times-in-three-weeks.html
