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SALT LAKE CITY — The FBI is offering up to a $10,000 reward for information about individuals who have pointed lasers at aircraft.
A national campaign designed to deter people from pointing lasers at aircraft was launched by the FBI Tuesday. Aiming a laser at aircraft is a federal offense.
“Intentionally aiming a laser at an aircraft poses a serious threat to those in the air and on the ground — and it’s a serious crime with serious consequences,” Air Line Pilots Association international president Capt. Lee Moak said in a statement.
Those convicted of pointing a laser at an aircraft could be fined $250,000 and receive five years in jail, according to the FBI. It said there is also a potential civil penalty of $11,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration.
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Police investigate reports of laser aimed at AirMed helicopter
Police are investigating a report that someone aimed a laser at a medical helicopter Friday night as it flew over North County Boulevard.There has been a 1,100 percent increase in the deliberate targeting of aircraft by individuals with handheld lasers since 2005, according to data from the FBI and FAA. In an attempt to raise awareness about the issue, the FBI launched a pilot program to offer reward money for information about laser attacks in February.
There has been a 19 percent decrease in the number of reported incidents at the 12 field offices that participated in the program so far, according to the FBI.
Reports of individuals pointing lasers at aircraft in Utah have been made as recently as January, when police investigated an incident where someone pointed a laser at a medical helicopter. Lasers can seriously interfere with a pilot's ability to keep a helicopter in the air, investigators said.
"If you are hit in the face or the eyes by any kind of laser light, it has the potential to temporarily blind you or at the very least to sort of get that after-effect glow when you see a rapid flash of light to the eyes,” said KSL Chopper 5 pilot Ben Tidswell.
The Salt Lake City International Airport had 36 laser aircraft incidents in 2011 and was ranked No. 14 in the country for the number of laser attacks. The McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas was ranked No. 5, with 72 reports in 2011.
The $10,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of individuals who point lasers at aircrafts. The reward is available for 90 days.
Those with information can contact their local FBI field office.
Contributing: Sam Penrod
