New FAA Fines Coming

They pulled my friend over because they thought *they* were pointing the laser.

As far as confiscation goes...if it is legal to own, doesn't that go against 4th amendment rights to have that confiscated without compensation?

T_J summed it up quite nicely... cops will do whatever they want. It's the reason I don't like most cops.

4th Amendment is against UNREASONABLE search and seizure... trust me it doesn't take a lot for a cop to decide it's totally reasonable to take anything from you. Justification for the confiscation of a high powered laser is not even a stretch, they can put in their report that they confiscated the item because it presented a hazard to them. Retarded I know, but it's the law.

One word of advice, don't start quoting the constitution to cops. They hate being shown that they are not very smart (most aren't, NYPD actually specifically doesn't take people who are too smart).

As for your friend... hope he was smart enough to just say "I don't know officer."

Yup, that's exactly what she said Fortunately she didn't rat me out, or I woulda lost a laser *and* been fired

Ouch... why would you get fired? I mean lost a laser... maybe, but fired?

The bottom line.
don't take your laser out and play with it if you think there could be cops lurking around the corner.
Move to the country where there are no cops, I go out side all the time and point my laser into the sky and never ever have to think twice about whether it's going to be confiscated.
If you even think your laser could be confiscated cuz you are showing it around maybe you aren't in the right place for doing that !

InfinitusEquitas said:

My problem is, it opens the door for idiocy from law enforcement. Cops are taught to be boneheaded to take control of situations, whether they are doing right or wrong, is not something most of them are trained to be concerned with.

For example, a cop sees someone using a high power laser pointing it in the clear sky... and doesn't like it. No one is getting hurt, there are no complains.

So what happens next? For the moment, not too much, usually a warning, sometimes a confiscation. Rarely anything more.

Now same scenario, the cop writes out a report, passes it on, and you will get an 11k fine on the mail...

I'm all for targeting actual offenders, especially ones that put peoples lives at risk, but I don't know that I can call this a positive step. Somehow I doubt the new laws will provide ANY protection for laser hobbyists.

Personally I wouldn't mind some kind of a test to take to be certified to handle a class 4 laser.

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Considering how good cops are at lurking... Not sure that there is such a thing as a "right" place.

Also I'm not quite at a point in my life where I want to move out to the middle of nowhere... Not saying I wouldn't I'm actually a pretty solitary person and love to take super secluded vacations, just not ready for a permanent one yet.

For now when I do go out, I think of it as an acceptable risk. I mean losing $200 in lasers would $uck, but I'm very careful with them, so that's more or less the worst case scenario. At least for now. Not sure how these new laws are gonna change that.

It's because Most people who become Cops Are People who like Bossing People around Already or have Control Issues. Possibly even the school Bully's



EDIT: Carry 2 lasers of the same nm, 1 you use and 1 Decoy (You "Gently" Toss the Good one aside if you fear a Search)

Krogith said:

It's because Most people who become Cops Are People who like Bossing People around Already or have Control Issues. Possibly even the school Bully's

EDIT: Carry 2 lasers of the same nm, 1 you use and 1 Decoy (You "Gently" Toss the Good one aside if you fear a Search)

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:crackup::crackup::crackup: LMAO!

Last time I brought lasers with me, where I actually figured would be a fun night for using them... Rapture party on a rooftop in a no virtual no fly area... I had 6 on me... in 4 wavelengths. I guess I'm gonna have to invest in a pocket protector for 4 decoys.

As far as I'm concerned though, if the cops see you... you already f*cked up.

Now as far as cops are concerned, it's a bit more interesting than that. I mean yes, many are people with control issues, but what's even more interesting is that the personality profiles of cops and criminals are so similar. I mean vs the personality profiles of law abiding civilians.

Wolfman29 said:

As far as confiscation goes...if it is legal to own, doesn't that go against 4th amendment rights to have that confiscated without compensation?

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Its only legal to use in a "lab" environment. You can easily say a room in your house is your lab. Your car, pocket, ect are not considered labs.

Last word on cops. They have the power to invent any story they want to, to do just about anything they want. You do have rights, but for petty crap like this you have no rights. The more of a hard time you give to them, the more they make your life miserable. And there is nothing worth going to jail over. So be honest, and respectful. Yes sir, no sir, thank you sir, and hope for the best.

I'm not really fond of cops either, but they are a needed entity.

Now that we are Off Topic, whats up with Cops using a Taser as a Baton? A Taser is A Gun Substitute not a new Stick to Beat People with. It should Only be used when they are at threat and in danger IE someone have a WEAPON or starts boxing or fighting them. But No Those Morons Use it just to get people to Comply Faster in a Non Threating Event. thats Crap.

Here's the thing... comes down to how much they fear repercussions.

If a cop uses a baton, it is VERY easy to do some serious and easy to see (to sue for) damage. On the other hand a taser will not leave much of a mark at all. So when a suspect is released from custody the next day, if they have a ton of bruises and a broken arm... well that's grounds for a police brutality claim, but if all they have are a couple of red spots... no one cares.

If you look around the next time you're out and about, you will see that many police departments have switched away from the old fashion "T" control baton. The reason for this is that there were too many lawsuits and complaints. They are also a pain to carry.

Right now cops are still enjoying relative immunity with tasers, and it will be years before there are better regulations. Also as I said above... cops are very very similar to criminals, and hurting people, dominating them, controlling them... it's part of the personality. If they can do it with ease, and suffer no consequences... why wouldn't they do it.

The thing that drives me nuts is that they often don't follow the rules in using them... YOU DO NOT TASER A PERSON IN THE HEAD OR CHEST, if they did, there wouldn't be nearly as many incidents making onto the news.

EDIT: Many police departments have adopted a policy that only cops who have experienced being tasered are allowed to carry tasers. Unfortunately most haven't. Also it's one thing to get tasered while being held by two people so you don't fall onto a training mat, and another altogether to be tasered on pavement.

Honestly this is the only forum I've ever been on that goes off topic on just about every post, LOL. Lots of opinionated people here. Some to opinionated.

Says the pot to the kettle

Besides it's my thread, and I still think we're in the right neighborhood of a topic... law enforcement.

InfinitusEquitas said:

Says the pot to the kettle
.

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Tis true, but I dont write bricks. Not busting your balls, but I cant even read most of what you write because it makes my eyes cross. I try to be short, and sweet.

^^^True, I've never been very good at summarizing.

Most people here do not have a large attention span to read bricks. I'd just recommend sticking to the points, and making general statements. People here are smart here, they will know what you are talking about. :beer: