The FBI is cracking down on people pointing laser pointers toward aircraft — and it wants your help. On Tuesday, the agency announced that it's expanding a program that offers a $10,000 reward to people who offer information leading to arrests for the illegal activity.
Officials are cracking down on a growing threat of "lasing," the act of people pointing handheld lasers toward a plane's cockpit. The beam, which can travel more than a mile, illuminates the cockpit and can temporarily blind the pilots. Although no crashes have been linked to "lasing," some pilots have required medical attention because of it. The number of reports have increased from 384 in 2006 to nearly 4,000 in 2013.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
