Slashdot Mirror
Man Who Pointed Laser At Aircraft Gets 30-Month Sentence
coondoggie writes "In a move federal prosecutors hope sends a strong message to the knuckleheads who point lasers at aircraft for fun, a California man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for shining one at two aircraft. According to the FBI Adam Gardenhire, 19, was arrested on March 29, 2012 and named in a two-count indictment filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles that said he pointed the beam of a laser at a private plane and a police helicopter that responded to the report."
It's because of idiots like this that we can't have nice toys. Laser pointers get banned and people who buy them get looked on with suspicion. All because some morons think pointing them at aircraft is a good idea.
How about we punish the idiots, and let the rest of us have our toys?
"let's give pilots kevlar body suits in a suitcase, if someone sprays the cockpit with bullets they can open the suitcase and put the suits on"
How about we put the onus for not being an asshole on the people who could cause the damage in the first place, not on those who might (in addition to their passengers) become victims of it?
Lasers can cause eye damage or blind a pilot pretty immediately, without time to put on goggles.
This is a good verdict. Society works if people are not assholes to each other; when they start being assholes, you need laws and enforcement to motivate them not to be.
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
I am perfectly okay with this.
Hardware hackers can also pop down to the nearest gun shop, pick up a .30-06 hunting rifle, and start potting away at airplanes, injuring or killing the pilot, hitting a fuel line, or otherwise causing it to fall down go boom.
People generally don't because it's understood that (a) doing so is malicious and destructive, and (b) there are laws prohibiting it with very severe punishment as consequences.
There are a lot of things in this world that are potentially dangerous weapons, including high-powered lasers. Banning them isn't the answer, but making it very clear that they're dangerous and that you're not to treat them like toys definitely is.
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
They are tremendously useful for stargazing - e.g. green laser collimators are fantastic tools for pointing out celestial objects or aiming a telescope.
Also, long-distance cat annoying.
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
The only issue I have is that this kid, probably non-violent dumb-ass, will come out of prison where he will experience many bad things, and probably learn many many bad things. When he comes out he probably won't be as non-violent any more.
Sentencing should be for punishment/rehabilitation and not to "send messages."
That kind of shit needs to go away. That's why we have "hackers" getting put away longer than rapists, or issues like Aaron Schwartz.
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
And if he had gotten his wish, and crashed the aircraft, how long should we have locked him up then?
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
The Geneva Convention might have something to say about that...
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
He deliberately put people's lives at risk. If anything, the sentence is too short. He doesn't need to be in a maximum security facility, but he needs to be taken out of circulation for a while, both to teach him a lesson and to serve as a warning to others who might be tempted to do the same thing.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Ok this guy did something monumentally stupid which, most certainly should serve as example for others. Done. Now whats with the 30 months in prison? Why must this guy be a felon? Now unable to leave the country, unable to vote in most places, unable to own a firearm.... all for something stupid that, he is unlikely to ever do again.
The punishment fetish in this country really needs to be checked, punishments are totally out of whack with crimes when we have people losing their rights indefinitely over something which, while it could have been disasterous wasn't, and more would have been served (and just as useful an example set) by using it as a teaching moment than by ruining this guys life and making crime one of his best options going forward.
But hey, the harsh punishment crowd can go stroke themselves over it, so someone benefits.
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
Why not public stockades for 10 days and allow the public to throw old food at him, totrure him, humiliate him, and even give him some corporal punishment?
Why the hell dont we do this anymore to people so they actually learn?
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
By "sending a message" they are by their own admission, using an unusual punishment.
Sure, this is an interpretive call on the meaning of "unusual" and judges are extremely unlikely to limit their own power by using a broad definition, just as they are unlikely to limit their power by using a narrow definition.
Apparently, California's prison lobby has not been deterred by the budget problems and overcrowding. We have the technology, house arrest for 30 months would be more reasonable.
Democracy Now! - uncensored, anti-establishment news
Thank you, with how many people seem to think that it is the responsibility of the victim to make sure that they are properly protected against idiots, it is nice to hear some sanity.
I personally think 30 months is too short. And the man should have been charged with attempted murder once for every person in each aircraft.
People need to become more conscious of their actions. If you know something "fun" that can kill people, you should still be charged with attempted murder, even if you were too stupid to realize your actions could have resulted in death.
But, you do end up in a grey area of what is a stupid attempt, and what is an honest mistake. However, in this case, it was obviously not a mistake, it was just stupid "fun".
As for his statement that he didn't know it was dangerous only leads to the fact that people are continuously using things without understanding what it is that they use. All laser pointers come with warnings. Even if his friend removed the label before letting his friend use it, the friend should also be responsible for notifying his friend of the dangers.
There is also the fact that this kid was not aware of the fact that it was illegal.
Now I know I am getting old, but the repeated use of the "I didn't know" defense sickens me every time I hear it in the news. What level of stupidity is required for people to do something they have no idea what they are doing?
I have been slowly getting my niece into astronomy, and now I have to deal with keeping up with these idiots causing new laws getting created, so I then have to research them, so that I can continue to teach her how to look at the stars responsibly, and while, it is obvious to keep pointers out of flight paths, now, before going to a new place I need to make sure I am more than 10 miles away from any registered airport.
And what exactly is the "practical solution" for keeping laser light out of windows which are designed to give pilots the best possible view outside? Any new materials I don't know of that keep laser light out but let other light through so pilots can still see the ground at night?
I don't think it's "overbearing" to make it illegal to shine lasers at aircraft.
I do think the punishment is a bit harsh for a 19 year old first offender who probably had no idea that what he was doing was so dangerous.
I would bet that the pilot would have plenty of time to see the dot and grab the protection after he sees it, are there even any documented cases of a pilot being blinded by a laser? How many compared to reports of beams on aircraft? (also of note, passengers being blinded, while not life threatening to the whole plane, is still bad and unconscionable)
I have flown with colleagues who have been hit by a laser and who were blinded for a few minutes, having to transfer control to the other pilot but fortunately without permanent eye damage. It's a very sudden flash without warning. Laser light is very focused, so you don't see any "dot" until it's pointed directly at you.
Even worse, I have heard of at least one pilot who has actually lost his license due to permanent eye damage after a laser strike. What a fun game, isn't it?
Taking precautions against them, especially small, cheap precautions (like door locks and protective glasses) which are effective against some of the more common problems, makes sense....
If only there was a way of keeping laser light out and letting other light in so the pilots can still see the runway at night... Yes, even with all the modern electronic guidance systems, being able to look outside is still one of the very basic safety features of any aircraft.
At no point should the justice system try to make an example out of anyone. Law should always be dealt evenly. The severity of punishment does nothing for deterrence, the only thing that helps serve as a warning is consistent enforcement of the law. To punish one person more than others so others take notice, has never worked, and is more of a sign of seeking vengeance than rehabilitation. Additionally, those who would do bad things likely aren't studied in criminal law and past case history to know if anyone has been made an example of whatever stupid thing they are about to do, so no warning to others is ever realistically possible. Gone are the days when a small community would get together to exact a punishment on an offender, and only in those small communities could setting an example work.
I just believe we should try to bring the young back into society where they can be constructive, at least give them the chance, before sending them on to learn to be a real criminal.
What kind of accuracy would be required to hit a pilot in the eye from 100m away?
It's not necessarily hitting the pupil, but rather the scattering of the light. Cockpit glass is not a perfect surface. All the dust and microscratches scatter the light across the surface, and the pilot can no longer see out. And looking out the window is pretty much required when you are trying to land.
We've had this problem here locally, with Navy jets coming over the oceanfront hotels on final approach. Beer fueled idiots on a hotel balcony, shining their toys at the jets.
Here is a video of a guy with a laser pointer being caught from above.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k4C8grAGP4
I know of at least one pilot who got permanent eye damage after a laser strike, and who can no longer fly. The beam becomes pretty wide at that distance but is still strong enough to cause serious damage.
The law is stupid because the idea that laws serve as an effective deterrent is stupid.
No it isn't.
Remember when they passed that law against __________, and now no one does __________ anymore?
smoking in indoor public places
driving without a seatbelt
leaving dog poop on the pavement
corporal punishment in schools
child labour
If "laser strikes" are now a potential safety hazard, and the government wants to "do something" about them, they should start requiring pilots to wear appropriate safety gear to protect themselves against laser strikes.
So, your answer to the problem of, say, graffiti would be to coat every wall with teflon, instead of punishing those responsible? How about mandatory burkas instead of those silly anti-rape laws?
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
What kind of accuracy would be required to hit a pilot in the eye from 100m away? The pupil has a radius of probably 5 mm.
Simple trig fails because a laser doesn't project an infinitesimal point, especially at 100m. And even if it did, you only need to hit your target for a moment to cause temporary blinding. Just the dazzle of a powerful laser as it reflects off various surfaces (or refracts through the glass) within the cockpit is probably enough to disorientate a pilot, so you don't even need to aim anywhere near their eyes.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
This guy pleaded guilty for repeatedly lighting up Navy jets. 18 months and $4k fine.
He was pissed at all the noise. The base was there before he was born.
Nobody is pointing scientific lasers at aircraft.
What this is all about is direct-diode lasers. Wicked Lasers takes these high-powered diodes, backs them up with a small power source and places them in a pointer housing. Voila: "Commercial-grade laser"
Laser power has gotten DRASTICALLY higher in recent years, specifically with the advent of high-powered direct-diode lasers which much more portable than any type of laser tech previously available.
Anything over 1mW (or somewhat higher as long as its firmly ensconced in an enclosure that prevents direct access) is not considered eye-safe (class 1).
Classes 2 and 3 (and the associated sub-classes) cover lasers between 2mW and 500mW. Lasers in this class can cause permanent damage very quickly, however the blink reflex (at roughtly 250ms) is fast enough to prevent such damage.
Anything over 500mW (1/2 Watt) is considered Class 4. There is no Class 5.
Class 4 means various things: Permanent instantaneous eye damage (blink reflex is not fast enough to prevent damage). Clearly, the "pointers" coming from overseas fall into the Class 4 category. While these diodes may not be waveform stabilized enough to find use in holography, they are plenty powerful to do some real damage if not handled correctly. Owning a hand-held device capable of output power in excess of 1 watt requires proper handling and respect.
Gov't enforcement on import of high-powered lasers is lax. Enforcement of their usage falls to the various state radiological boards, and the FDA at the Federal level. Any operator must possess a federal variance in order to run public laser exhibitions indoors, an additional FAA clearance is required to run outdoors, also any laser display device must be covered separately under a device variance (which ensures the device contains proper safety labels, keyswitch interlocks, registration with gov't entities, etc.) before it can be considered legal for "professional" use.
As a laser show professional, I'm just awaiting the day someone does something really stupid which results in catastrophe and ruins it for the rest of us. The US already has some of the most stringent regulations in the world covering allowable exposure and prohibiting certain types of effects (audience scanning, etc) from being used. Enjoy the pretty lights while you can, before some bozo prompts a crackdown.
No Mythbusters needed. This is what it looks like from the air. And this guy was prepared for it, having been notified by a previous aircraft. They went looking for this guy.
And here is another one.
And for an airliner, you're looking at a 9 sq/ft window, instead of a 5mm pupil.
Heh, amateurs. Literally.
I got to use the Keck II Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics systems last week (to hunt for binary Kuiper Belt objects). It fires a 16 W CW laser (32x beyond what's needed to be Class 4) from one of the world's largest telescopes up to create an artificial ball of plasma about 90 km above the Earth. Since the ball should appear as a point source, all the distortion it in is due to the atmosphere. So, the computers calculate the distortion and cancel it out to create better resolution images than the atmosphere would allow. In theory it's better than Hubble (or so the PR people say), but in our experience using both, it really has to be a perfect night to just match Hubble.
There is an automatic aircraft detection system, but we still have to have a guy out there with a pair of binoculars looking for airplanes. More pressing though, is the satellites. To insure the laser doesn't blind any "downward-looking satellites", we have to submit our list of targets to the US Space Command. If we get close to violating any of the closures that they gave us, the laser automatically shutters and the control system bleats out "Waring! Warning! Space Command! Space Command!", which has several near heart attacks at about 3 AM...
"For doing something dumb (not intending to harm anybody)"
What, precisely, do you think he had in mind when aiming a laser pointer in the cockpit of an airplane lining up for a landing? "Harmless", my a$$.
This was a serious violent crime. Period. End of story. The fact that his crime failed to have the intended result doesn't mean he gets a slap on the wrist.