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What Happens When You Laser A Washington State Police Helicopter
Published 5 months ago
This footage, provided by the Washington State Police, documents a suspect loitering in a flight path near a Tacoma airport and shining a laser into the cockpits of aircraft. Unfortunately for him, among these is a State Police air unit, which both records evidence of him doing it and guides ground-based patrols to effect his arrest.
This is admittedly a niche subject, but when an EMS pilot friend of mine brought up the subject and how frustrating it can be, I wanted to show this guy getting hemmed up as a shout out/thank you to the air wingers, rotor heads, flight medics, drone pilots and everyone else who flies for a living. While to the uninitiated this may seem like a harmless prank, shining a laser into an aircraft is a federal crime, on the grounds that it can temporarily incapacitate and cause permanent eye damage to pilots (this includes drone pilots, and particularly those who fly via headset). Naturally, suddenly being stricken blind presents a substantial problem in both the short term and long term for a pilot. Despite the damage it can cause, and the hefty fine associated ($11k per incident, which means apart from going to jail, this suspect is looking at at least $20k in fines), there were over 13,000 such incidents in 2023 alone.
The original video footage being over 15 minutes long, I have truncated it for convenience, while leaving the lazing incidents and most of the thermal footage to make the suspect and police response easier to see.
About the Author
Cole Simms
Cole Simms is an Air Guardsman, NASA enthusiast, police officer, and security contractor with particular experience in austere environments. Outside of work, he volunteers as a Stop The Bleed instructor for area schools. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and blends his knowledge and experience to write analysis for Funker530.
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