$10,000 reward offered in Las Vegas aircraft laser incidents

The FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration are broadening their campaign to catch people pointing lasers at aircraft at a time when the problem is worsening in Southern Nevada.

The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of any individual who aims a laser at an aircraft. The reward is offered for the next 90 days from 56 FBI field offices.

A spokeswoman for the Las Vegas field office said there were 109 incidents involving people aiming lasers at aircraft in 2012 and 103 in 2013.

But from the beginning of 2014 to May 15, there were 43 incidents — an average of 9.6 per month and a 12 percent increase over 2013’s pace.

The number of incidents in 2013 ranked Southern Nevada as sixth highest in the nation for strikes against aircraft.

In addition to the documented laser strikes against planes, thousands of incidents go unreported.

Since the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration began tracking laser strikes in 2005, there’s been a 1,100 percent increase in the deliberate targeting of aircraft with handheld lasers nationwide.

A high-profile incident involving the arrest of a Henderson man accused of pointing a laser at a police helicopter occurred as recently as February.

James Zipf, 30, was arrested by FBI agents after being indicted by a Las Vegas grand jury following six incidents involving a Metropolitan Police helicopter in January and February.

Zipf was convicted of doing the same thing to police helicopters in Phoenix in 2011 according to court documents.

The dramatic increase resulted in the FBI establishing a pilot program and offering a reward in 12 field offices. The number of incidents declined when the program began, but it soared in recent weeks.

“Although our previous efforts to raise public awareness have shown early signs of success in reducing the number of laser attacks in those 12 cities, the laser threat remains a problem on a much larger scale,” said Joseph Campbell, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.

The federal agencies enlisted the help of the Air Line Pilots Association to publicize the problem.

Laser strikes are particularly dangerous because the pinpoint of light emitted from a laser pointer broadens with distance and can be 2 feet wide when it hits a plane’s cockpit. Pilots are particularly vulnerable during landings when they can become temporarily blinded at the most critical moment of a flight.

In the Metro helicopter incident, the pilot became so disoriented that he had to land the craft and end his shift early.

“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,” said Air Line Pilots Association International President Capt. Lee Moak.

The FBI recommends people who witness an incident to call 911 to report it.

Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow him on Twitter @RickVelotta.