Patriot Act - Man arrested for having laser pointer in his backyard

Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/03/nyregion/03laser.html

The FBI arrested a man for using a laser pointer in his backyard. They had a semi decent reason to go get him but come one now...


More info:
http://www.bigha.com/blog/index.php


Full story in case you can't get it off of NYT:

F.B.I. Asks New Jersey Man About Laser
By PATRICK O'GILFOIL HEALY

Published: January 3, 2005


New Jersey man questioned by the F.B.I. after he shined a green laser beam at a Port Authority police helicopter on Friday had simply been demonstrating a new electronic gadget for his 7-year-old daughter, the man's lawyer said yesterday.

The man, David Banach of Parsippany, had been shining a new laser pointer at trees and the stars about 5:30 p.m. Friday when the beam apparently struck the helicopter, said his lawyer, Gina Mendola Longarzo. The helicopter had been flying by to investigate reports that a laser beam had been shined on a small passenger plane on Wednesday night as it flew over Parsippany.



"It turns out that he was really in the wrong place at the wrong time," Ms. Longarzo said of Mr. Banach. "In 10 minutes there were dozens of police cars in front of the house."

The incident in Parsippany took place a day after federal officials announced that they would investigate reports from around the country of lasers being shined into the cockpits of airplanes as they were about to land. Lasers have been shined at seven airplanes, including a Cessna Citation that was hit with a beam about 5:40 p.m. Wednesday as it approached Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.

No one has been hurt in any of the incidents, but federal officials have said that laser beams can temporarily blind pilots. A spokesman for the F.B.I. said that no one had been arrested in the Parsippany incident but that the investigation was continuing.

Ms. Longarzo said Mr. Banach had been blindsided by the investigation. She described him as a father of three who tests fiber-optic cables for a living, has never been arrested and was not aware of any of the other laser incidents.

Mr. Banach ordered the green laser pointer online from an Oregon company called BigHa, Ms. Longarzo said. The company's Web site, bigha.com, displays photographs of green laser beams shooting into space but warns customers not to aim at any homes or aircraft.

"He had no bad intent," Ms. Longarzo said. "He wasn't trying to harm anyone."

Throngs of local police officers and federal investigators arrived in Mr. Banach's neighborhood on Pitman Road after hearing reports of another laser sighting. Ms. Longarzo said Mr. Banach was questioned for three hours at his house, then taken to an F.B.I. office in Newark and questioned until 4:30 a.m.

He returned home on Saturday, but federal investigators seized the laser pointer and its batteries, Ms. Longarzo said.

says I gotta register to read the NY times... :sad:

:cool: Thanks for the edit

It's no different anymore than joking about a bomb in an airport. It sounds stupid, but if there's any threat what soever, it must be investigated. Sorry for the guy, as long as he cooperates, and doesn't try to shine on a plane again, Things should get back to normal for him after the book deal...

http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/...ons/laser3.gif

Speaking from a pilot's perspective, I sure as hell would not want to be blinded on final approach (or any other time for that matter).

Perhaps before the ill-named Patriot Act, the response would have been a bit less severe, but still....

Let me get this straight, a helicopter is flying over this guys house and he doesn't hear it or see it's beacon (? I'm not a pilot so I don't know what the standard lights on aircraft are called) lights that it has on for flying and just happens to point a laser into the cockpit while trying to hit a star. If he couldn't see the chopper how can this guy even see the stars? Ok, I'll him that one but then he just so happens to hit a low flying plane on approach too?

Quote:

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The jet, a chartered Cessna Citation, was landing Dec. 29 with six people aboard when a green light beam struck the windshield three times at about 3,000 feet, according to court documents. The pilot and co-pilot were temporarily blinded but were able to land the plane safely.

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http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/20...05/808774.html
Maybe this isn't Patriot Act material but still, this moron has to pay for his stupidity....

Just a simple question - how does a legal hand held laser pointer blind the pilots at one to 5 miles miles away? How do you aim the pointer from your hand at an object that far away for more than a split second?

Take your laser pointer and hold it on a wall 100 feet away and see how much it shakes. Now trace that line out to a mile or more. Guess what, it's not happening. It says on the website that the laser came from that the perp probably used to mess with aircraft is probably tripod mounted and the power supply modified.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ya_know

says I gotta register to read the NY times... :sad:

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It's a free register. Not shabby for a free newspaper on the net. They have good interactive reports.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ilovetheusers

Just a simple question - how does a legal hand held laser pointer blind the pilots at one to 5 miles miles away? How do you aim the pointer from your hand at an object that far away for more than a split second?

Take your laser pointer and hold it on a wall 100 feet away and see how much it shakes. Now trace that line out to a mile or more. Guess what, it's not happening. It says on the website that the laser came from that the perp probably used to mess with aircraft is probably tripod mounted and the power supply modified.

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Maybe so, but if the guy were to intentionally aim at the plane, with or without the tripod, a beam can reach that far. So regardless of simple theory about the accuracy of the beam, he's certainly capable of leaning the laser on a fixed object, say a concrete wall, with a few other pieces to maintain stationary position, yet trail a moving object. Just cause he "says" he was showing his kid a new toy, doesn't mean it's not a made up story. Sorry man, he should feel the brunt as far as I am concerned.

There are many lasers of varying legality that you can buy that are much more powerful than your standard pointer. They may cost >$600, but they can also set certain objects on fire.

Big sky theory at work here. It is a big sky and a plane is a small target. Furthermore, the cockpit of the plane is an even smaller target. If you manage to hit an airplane with a laser, it is deliberate. I say impound his laser, fine him, maybe minor jailtime with lengthy community service.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ya_know

Maybe so, but if the guy were to intentionally aim at the plane, with or without the tripod, a beam can reach that far. So regardless of simple theory about the accuracy of the beam, he's certainly capable of leaning the laser on a fixed object, say a concrete wall, with a few other pieces to maintain stationary position, yet trail a moving object. Just cause he "says" he was showing his kid a new toy, doesn't mean it's not a made up story. Sorry man, he should feel the brunt as far as I am concerned.

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He actually bought it for testing fiber optics which just happens to be a big part of his job.

If you feel you are correct, factor in the fact that the aircraft is moving at 200-700 mph and then tell me how he did it hand held. BTW - placing a laser pointer on a rock steadys it but there is still shake as you move it via your hand. Hell, I take photo's this way in the dark and I get a hell of a lot of shake and it shows.

There is no way this guy did this hand held. Further, the actions of using a laser pointer to ppoint out stars and the like is not out of the question. I.E. the reason they show people pointing it into the sky on the website...


In the cases the FBI is quoting the beam was on the cockpit window for several seconds. I'd like to see you use a laser scope on a rifle with a bipod and see if you can keep it on a target for only a second when the target is 3 miles away moving at 300mph.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ilovetheusers

He actually bought it for testing fiber optics which just happens to be a big part of his job.

If you feel you are correct, factor in the fact that the aircraft is moving at 200-700 mph and then tell me how he did it hand held. BTW - placing a laser pointer on a rock steadys it but there is still shake as you move it via your hand. Hell, I take photo's this way in the dark and I get a hell of a lot of shake and it shows.

There is no way this guy did this hand held. Further, the actions of using a laser pointer to ppoint out stars and the like is not out of the question. I.E. the reason they show people pointing it into the sky on the website...

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You said before that he's 5 miles away, that's 26400 feet. However, the article says that these planes are being hit upon approach to land, which puts them less then 1000 feet up. I believe this guy lives somewhere near the approach path, because the helo was searching those areas, this guy could have been within rifle range possibly. I wear glasses, and I could hit a man-sized target at 500 yards with open sights, lying in the prone position with no tripod. That’s 1500 feet, at a target 3 feet tall, 2 feet wide.

You make it sound completely infeasible, my point is it’s certainly possible. Your reasoning to discredit the prosecution of this guy is a farce. You also bring up the point that he had the laser for his job, two things come out. One is, it’s probably a kick a$$ laser, two, he has the perfect “alibi” to own one. Doesn’t mean that for kicks he not out there blinding pilots. He was caught, fine him, jail him if necessary, but make sure people understand that this will NOT be tolerated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ya_know

You said before that he's 5 miles away, that's 26400 feet. However, the article says that these planes are being hit upon approach to land, which puts them less then 1000 feet up. I believe this guy lives somewhere near the approach path, because the helo was searching those areas, this guy could have been within rifle range possibly. I wear glasses, and I could hit a man-sized target at 500 yards with open sights, lying in the prone position with no tripod. That’s 1500 feet, at a target 3 feet tall, 2 feet wide.

You make it sound completely infeasible, my point is it’s certainly possible. Your reasoning to discredit the prosecution of this guy is a farce. You also bring up the point that he had the laser for his job, two things come out. One is, it’s probably a kick a$$ laser, two, he has the perfect “alibi” to own one. Doesn’t mean that for kicks he not out there blinding pilots. He was caught, fine him, jail him if necessary, but make sure people understand that this will NOT be tolerated.

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I missed the section about the guy hitting aircraft that were landing. My bad. Ye_right.

Also, my one bud here noted that he heard that the guy had it mounted on his telescope. That makes a big difference.

Is it just me or don't you think the Star Wars Missile Defense team should be recruiting this guy? At least he can actually HIT something ;)

Add to this, the guy should know the dangers of a ill pointed laser, and that living near an airport he is going to have people above him. I have one of those lecture pointers I use to play with the cats, one thing I know from reading the warning affixed to it, you don't shine this thing in the eyes of anything, man or beast, because it can cause temporary blindness, and prolonged exposure can cause more permanent injury. This guy was a professional that used a laser as part of his daily responsibility, which means he should be aware of the improper usage of it…end of story.