Thursday, January 28, 1999
Laser pointer curbs rejected
Hamilton council votes no
BY JANET C. WETZEL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — Laser pointers won't be banned here, but people who use them to cause trouble could still find themselves standing before a judge.
Council voted 4-3 Wednesday against a law proposed by Councilman George McNally, former police chief.
It would have prohibited anyone from shining a laser pointer with intent “to harass or annoy” a person or animal. It also would have forbid the lights from being aimed at a police officer or at anyone's face or eyes.
There was no discussion before the vote.
After the meeting, Mr. McNally said he was disappointed but not too surprised.
“I'd heard rumors they were scheming, plotting to defeat it,” Mr. McNally said. “I think (such a law) is a valuable tool for police and schools. I thought Council was pretty positive about this before, but you can never figure a politician's mind.”
Laser pointers, often used as a lecture tool by people giving presentations, are popular, but controversial toys.
The issue arose in Hamil ton in December when Mr. McNally became concerned about the devices and proposed restricting their use.
He said some communities restrict the sale of laser pointers to minors. His ordinance would not have.
Most laser pointers emit safe, low-intensity beams. But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that prolonged exposure could damage vision. And they could traumatize people who see the red dot come to rest on them — thinking they may be caught in the cross hairs of a laser-sighted gun.
That could cause someone to get shot, or it could cause police officers to be gunned down while they try to determine whether the light is from a gun or a toy, Mr. McNally said.
Police Chief Neil Ferdelman said the sale of laser pointers is on the rise, and he favored the ordinance.
“However, there are other tools available to use for such things, and we'll use these,” he said. They include city and state disorderly conduct laws.
Councilwoman Sharon Hughes, who opposed the proposal from the start, reiterated her reasons Wednesday.
“My personal belief is that government needs to take a lesser role in people's lives and people need to take more responsibility for things they can control,” she said. “I felt this was covered by existing law.”
Councilman Danny Crank said he thinks laser pointers are “a fad that will go away if we let it.”
Other communities across the country, including Cincinnati, have looked at similar laws. Cincinnati has not presented legislation for a vote. But other communities — Virginia Beach, Va., Westchester County, N.Y., and Ocean City, Md. — have adopted the legislation.
Mr. McNally began researching an ordinance in October, after he attended a Wabash, Ind., high school football game and saw the game interrupted because laser pointers were being aimed at football players and officials.
Cincinnati Public Schools are cracking down on laser pointers. Use in the classroom could be grounds for suspension.
The pointers, which start about $20, are widely available. They have long been used for business presentations.
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