Buffalo Grove police received a report about 8:05 p.m. Friday, October 8, 2010 from Chicago Executive Airport control tower that a green laser light was directed at planes on approach to Chicago Executive Airport. The specific source was pinpointed to a baseball diamond behind the Vernon Township Administration Building at 1050 North Main Street, Buffalo Grove. Police searched the area. No word on any suspects or arrests.
According to FBI statistics, about 1,000 incidents were reported nationwide in 2008. In 2010, January through August, 1,700 incidents were reported. The laser light can cause temporary blindness in pilots that can last from one second to two or three minutes. Light can scatter in the cockpit, so the pilot doesn’t have to be looking directly into the source of the light on the ground to be affected. No plane crashes have been attributed to laser light interference in the cockpit.
A Similar Case from Rhode Island …
Joseph Aquino, 31, of Warwick, Rhode Island, was arrested Thursday morning September 16, 2010, after he allegedly pointed a high-powered laser pointer at the cockpit of a Continental Airlines passenger airplane landing at T.F. Green Airport Wednesday night, and briefly blinded the pilot. The plane landed safely, Aquino was arrested because witnesses reported during police investigation that he had also been shining the light at boaters. At his first hearing, Aquino was charged with disorderly conduct and was turned over to the FBI for the act, which is a federal offense. Aquino was charged Wednesday, September 22, 2010 in federal court in Providence, Rhode Island with interfering with an aircraft with reckless disregard for safety and attempting to interfere with an aircraft with reckless disregard for safety. For each count Aquino faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release.
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Satellite Image showing baseball diamonds at 1050 North Main Street.
View Buffalo Grove Crime 2009-2010 in a larger map
Satellite Image showing baseball diamonds at 1050 North Main Street (upper left) and Chicago Executive Airport (lower right).
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For about $80 you can buy a green laser pointer strong enough to light a match. These are all over the internet usually from overseas wholesalers.