** catched by police yesterday night **

Bye bye supergreen! :yabbmad:

My 400mw O-Like was took yesterday night by police. :scowl:

I was sitting on the sand, on the seaside with a friend, i was playing with my new green, pointing to clouds and stars..

..a car of Police stopped in the corner and two men came to us:

cp/.Hello sir, we saw a visible light beam from the side. Are you using a portable laserpointer? Do you know this devices are illegal?

lb/.I am not pointing it to anyone or anything.

cp/.Can i see the device sir?

-(i gave the handheld laser)

cp/.Where did you get this?

lb/.ehrr..i built it myself...

cp/.i see.. and where did you get the parts?

lb./internet..

cp/.i see.. there is no label indicating the class and "c.e.", sir... i'm gonna take this. also, i have to sign you for a ticket sir, i think this is going to to illegal class of laser pointers. can i have your id sir.

lb./......(10 minutes later)...

cp./...here sir, that will be 150 euro ticket, also we may contact you in the next 48 hours, if there may be other issues or reports about laser abuse in this area. after we check this on the station, if may result into a legal class of laser pointers, we will contact you, and you may receive your device back.

lb./here your id sir, good evening.

---------
I live in Europe, i dont know if anything different somewhere else...but that's really a shame.

No words, freedom is ended.

Hope this post may help someone else.

What country are you in?

Meatball said:

What country are you in?

Click to expand...

Laserburns said:

Bye bye supergreen! :yabbmad:



---------
I live in Europe, i dont know if anything different somewhere else...but that's really a shame.

No words, freedom is ended.

Hope this post may help someone else.

Click to expand...

I allways take a small cheap greenie, when i'm out playing with my big greens, then the cops get the cheap one, if i get stopped.

Ouch, That hurts! Losing the laser is bad enough, but having potential legal punishment on top of that is really too bad. I guess it's a lesson for all of us to know the laws in our countries before using a laser where anyone else can see it.

You have my sympathies. :cryyy:

Ed

Just saw your reply, Ped. That's a good idea.

ped said:

I allways take a small cheap greenie, when i'm out playing with my big greens, then the cops get the cheap one, if i get stopped.

Click to expand...

I dont know if is a great idea, if they turn it on and see that make not a such visible beam, they may phisically check your pockets, and then think you are trying to fool them, and arrest you!

After all, i came home with a ticket and no further legal troubles.

Well, that's unfair anyway, i was doing nothing bad.. i was just punished for "possessing" it.

crazy.

Wow... that REALLY sucks man - I'm sorry to hear that happened. Hopefully you'll get it back, but that's just rediculous.

Fortunately here in Canada, class IIIB devices are still legal in public generally... And even if it wasn't I'd still be hesitant to hand over my stuff to the police.

I do really like Ped's idea though - taking around a cheap greenie that way if they do question, that's the one "you were using" and if they debate it, as long as it's <5mw they can't do anything about it.

Ugh. Stupid.

What country are you from, again?

Here in Croatia I only had one single encounter with Police regarding lasers, when I was shining one few minutes before a concert where by cousing is playing started.

I was shining my 445nm DIY build around, and couple of policemen appeared and asked to see it. I showed the man how to turn it on, he shined it on some trees 100 meters awy (or so), asked me where I'd get it - reply, parts, internet , assembled it myself , his reply was "Very nice" , they returned back the laser and walked away.

Since they are not illegal to have here anyhow, it went as expected.

Sorry for your loss.

Eudaimonium said:

What country

Click to expand...

replyied in pm.

by what i see, i think you was very lucky.

they was banned in my country because some moron pointed them to a famous soccer player during a game in stadium, and he missed a goal or something..

Where do you live????

GRRRrrrr that is crap! I am sorry to hear this... I would be livid hell if cops tried this to me for 'not misusing' a laser.

If I were you I would've tried telling him that you had a 'handheld laser' which is different from one of those 'illegal laser pointers' that cops are hearing about. I would've continued (if this line was working) explaining that permits are often needed to acquire the parts to build a laser like the one you 'built' - sort of like how the doc got his plutonium to make a time machine out of a delorean in the 80s hit movie Back To The Future.

When they ask to see such a permit (because they won't have a clue on the spot) you could continue telling them it's not required by law to carry your permit when using your handheld laser unless it's for a public performance. Tell them the only misuse would involve lasing people, transportation or anything that could create a public distraction but hitting the clouds off the beach isn't doing such a thing.

Damn I'm mad.... a 400mw o-like greenie too. Despite your 'gentle' treatment from the cops I'd be fuming mad & fighting this since you were not misusing the laser or doing anything arguably 'wrong' :yabbmad:

lesson learnd i guess it's sad but can't do shit about it
and the idea of ( take a small cheap greenie ) issn't that smart either , cops can be a pain in the butt !!! trust me
it's 2011 by now and they know more then enough about lasers these days

( i live in holland , the netherlands )

NO WAY i will take my green or any other laser with my out doors

weeba2kv said:

and the idea of ( take a small cheap greenie ) issn't that smart either , cops can be a pain in the butt !!! trust me
it's 2011 by now and they know more then enough about lasers these days

Click to expand...

I tend to disagree and think that most cops most likely continue totally
ignorant about lasers.

Also, a cheap ebay greenie seen from very up close, could give a similar
impression of brightness as higher powered one seen from far away (when they 1st spot you).

I will be carrying a cheap decoy from now on.:thanks:

Sorry to hear that Laserburns, a nice laser to get taken too. if it was me I'd be fighting this to try and get it back but then again I don't know the exact laws you're facing, if they're outlawed completely you don't have a hope really.

I think peds idea is sound advice, I'm getting a cheap keychain 150mW soon which I'll give up if ever I need to, not bothered about any fine for it being powerful just as long as I never get the good ones seized.

Just goes to show that people really need to know what their local laws say before playing with any laser in public.

While it sucks that it happened, I can't say i'm very surprised though, and it's likely inevitable we see it happen in more and more places as more people commit random acts of stupidity and bring more attention to themselves and portable lasers.

Laserburns said:

I dont know if is a great idea, if they turn it on and see that make not a such visible beam,

Click to expand...

It IS a great idea if it stops your big expensive greenie bein taken.

And when they say "it doesnt look very bright now"

you reply with "the batteries are dying"

/ rocket science.

Yeah but then they'll probably reply with "turn out your pockets" lol better to give up a cheap powerful one IMO.