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Laser pointer hits NYPD helicopter
The Boston Globe ^ | August 1, 2006 | Associated Press

Posted on 08/01/2006 1:49:59 PM PDT by looscnnn

A 19-year-old man was arrested after authorities said he shined a laser pointer at a police helicopter.

The bright green laser beamed into the cockpit late Monday night, temporarily blinding the officers, said Melissa Klein, an NYPD spokeswoman.

Police arrested Anthony Pepe a short time later, and charged him with reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon, Klein said.

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption
KEYWORDS: acmelazerco; bang; banglist; crybabies; faa; faintofheart; harmless; laser; laserpointer; lazer; nypd
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To: Blue Jays; Graybeard58

They use a form of the Minority Report.


81 posted on 08/01/2006 4:14:02 PM PDT by looscnnn ("Olestra (Olean) applications causes memory leaks" PC Confusious)
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To: Dead Corpse

They need to put warnings on these things.

May I suggest:

"Do not stare into laser beam with remaining eye"


82 posted on 08/01/2006 4:38:04 PM PDT by Nik Naym
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To: timestax

The green laser is more powerful than the ones you speak of.

Its a specialty product primarily used at night by folks with an astronomical bent as it actually sends a beam of light upwards into the sky that looks as if you are pointing at a star on the heavens.

It can damage vision and it certainly affects night vision and should not be pointed at anyones eyes.

Thanks to numbnuts like this guy its use is already covered under some portion of the patriot act, or at least thats the warning I received with mine.


83 posted on 08/01/2006 7:09:48 PM PDT by festus (The constitution may be flawed but its a whole lot better than what we have now.)
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To: looscnnn

84 posted on 08/01/2006 7:13:28 PM PDT by timestax
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To: timestax
If you followed the Wicked Laser link I posted, you would see that the 125mW Green laser is the one to which I am refering. Maybe if you actually CHECKED the sources people give you, instead of just running off at the mouth, you'd educate yourself.

Click here 1.1mb wmv file.

85 posted on 08/01/2006 9:07:14 PM PDT by Dead Corpse (It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.- Aeschylus)
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To: timestax

bump,bump,bump...bumpbumpbump,bump. You forgot to include the music.


86 posted on 08/02/2006 12:32:57 PM PDT by looscnnn ("Olestra (Olean) applications causes memory leaks" PC Confusious)
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To: timestax
Light Amplified by Stimulated Emissions of Radiation.

LASER

Now that is out of the way, Michael Jonah and Timothy Reiffer were blinded by laser pointers.

87 posted on 08/02/2006 12:43:52 PM PDT by Anitius Severinus Boethius
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To: timestax
It's time people quit acting like big babies...those lazers are harmless.

Not a pilot, I take it?
88 posted on 08/02/2006 12:47:45 PM PDT by BritExPatInFla
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To: taxcontrol
A laser which can blind someone most certainly be called a weapon

By definition a laser pointer is not capable of blinding anyone.

89 posted on 08/02/2006 12:48:49 PM PDT by from occupied ga (Your most dangerous enemy is your own government)
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To: finnman69

That isn't a laser pointer.


90 posted on 08/02/2006 12:50:31 PM PDT by from occupied ga (Your most dangerous enemy is your own government)
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To: taxcontrol
A laser which can blind someone most certainly be called a weapon.

Lots of things can temporarily blind someone. A hand-held mirror, a flashlight in the dark, high-beams from oncoming traffic... Are these "weapons" as well?

And causing permanent blindness with a laser pointer at long range is a far-fetched idea.

91 posted on 08/02/2006 12:50:46 PM PDT by TChris (Banning DDT wasn't about birds. It was about power.)
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To: Cobra64

They probably thought they were being targeted and made up the part about being blinded.


92 posted on 08/02/2006 12:55:57 PM PDT by ichabod1 (Keep Clam. There's nothing you can do about it anyway.)
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To: festus

The laser you are describing is what is known as a 1/2 wave NdYAG laser. Yes, they are very dangerous if mis-used.


93 posted on 08/02/2006 12:59:53 PM PDT by wjcsux (I would prefer to have the German army in front of me than the French army behind me- Gen. G. Patton)
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To: TChris
....And causing permanent blindness with a laser pointer at long range is a far-fetched idea.

You my think it is a far fetched idea. But if you understood the simple physics behind the power that these laser pointers can generate, you would know that they CAN permanently burn the retina.

But even so, how long do you want your pilot to be blinded while making a landing?

Per OSHA Regulations (Standards - 29 CFR)
Nonionizing radiation. - 1926.54
...Employees shall not be exposed to light intensities above:
(j)(1) Direct staring: 1 micro-watt per square centimeter;
(j)(2) Incidental observing: 1 milliwatt per square centimeter;
(j)(3) Diffused reflected light: 2 1/2 watts per square centimeter

These 100mW range green lasers can generate powers far greater than these standards. Further, if you don't believe me, consider the following: http://vision.about.com/od/eyesafety/a/laserpointereye.htm.

Note this section of the article:
Mayo Clinic ophthalmologists made the discovery after exposing a diseased eye about to be surgically removed to green laser pointer light. Archives of Ophthalmology (May 2005) reported findings that green laser light damaged pigmented cells within the retina, the inner layer of the back of the eye where images are processed. Damage occurs with as little as 60 seconds of exposure.

94 posted on 08/02/2006 1:21:30 PM PDT by taxcontrol
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To: sneakers
Laser pointers are actually illegal in Germany. A colleague of my gave a presentation there, and when he whipped out his laser pointer his audience gasped!
95 posted on 08/02/2006 1:24:05 PM PDT by jaydubya2
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To: taxcontrol
Damage occurs with as little as 60 seconds of exposure.

From your own post.

Now, tell me how a person on the ground is going to keep their laser pointer aimed steadily at the retina of a pilot in a moving aircraft for 60 seconds plus? It just. Can't. Happen.

Is it a distraction and safety hazzard? Absolutely. Should they be punished for that? Of course. But to classify a laser pointer as a weapon? Puh-LEEZE.

I can cause damage with my magnifying glass in less than sixty seconds, if the target will hold still long enough.

96 posted on 08/02/2006 1:31:42 PM PDT by TChris (Banning DDT wasn't about birds. It was about power.)
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To: TChris
And the higher power laser pointers available on the market today can cause flammable things like paper to burn. Also, it is possible to cause DAMAGE (not blindness, in as little a 1 second of exposure. This damage will leave a residual spot in the field of vision in such a manner as to make it impossible to see anything in the area of damage. Granted, this damage often will heal, given enough time. But so will a knife wound.

BTW, the law is not on your side. The legal definition of a weapon is:

dangerous weapon
n. any gun, knife, sword, crossbow, slingshot or other weapon which can cause bodily harm to people (even though used for target shooting). If a person is harmed by such a weapon that is left unguarded, improperly used, or causes harm even to a person who plays with it without permission, the victim or his/her survivors can sue for negligence and possibly win a judgment
97 posted on 08/02/2006 1:49:09 PM PDT by taxcontrol
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To: looscnnn

A 'bright green' laser is not a toy bought at a convenient store.


98 posted on 08/02/2006 1:55:17 PM PDT by TC Rider (The United States Constitution © 1791. All Rights Reserved.)
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To: timestax

Then why does the ad referenced in the previous post state that they are dangerous?


99 posted on 08/02/2006 2:00:50 PM PDT by wtc911 (You can't get there from here)
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To: timestax

http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040928-111356-3924r.htm

Naval Lt. Cmdr. Jack Daly and Canadian helicopter pilot Capt. Pat Barnes

Are you happy now? We are not talking about the little red laser cat toys. These are weapon lights, that used to cost over a thousand dollars. They are now available for a few hundred. I was able to use one to light up a cell tower over 500 yards away with a very visible dot. Try that with your mini-mart pointer.


100 posted on 08/02/2006 2:02:50 PM PDT by TC Rider (The United States Constitution © 1791. All Rights Reserved.)
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