Mon, Sep 21, 2009
ALPA is applauding the recent
sentencing of a man convicted of interfering with the safe
operation of an aircraft by shining a green laser at an airliner
and a helicopter in flight near Sacramento International Airport in
March 2009.
On Sept. 8, 2009, a federal judge in California sentenced
Balltazar Valladares of Roseville, California, to three years and
one month in federal prison upon his conviction. Valladares
admitted to police that, on the night of March 16, 2009, he had
shined a laser into the night sky in the vicinity of the Sacramento
International Airport and that he directed it at an airborne law
enforcement helicopter. The police aboard the helicopter at the
time were investigating an earlier report by an airline pilot that
his aircraft had been lasered during landing at Sacramento
International.
“Shining lasers at aircraft in flight is a serious crime
that jeopardizes safety and should be punished accordingly,”
said Capt. John Prater, ALPA’s president. “ALPA
commends the law enforcement agencies that helped apprehend and
prosecute the individual involved in this case, including the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Air Marshal Service,
and the Office of the U.S. Attorney, as well as the judge for his
strong sentencing.”
The Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS), the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, including
the Roseville Police Department, assisted with identifying the
individual responsible and conducting the prosecution. In August,
ALPA’s National Security Committee sponsored a presentation
by the FBI and the FAMS on this case. The Association has worked
closely with these law enforcement agencies, lending its support to
their efforts.
“ALPA has long advocated for prosecuting to the fullest
extent of the law those individuals who jeopardize passengers,
crews, and cargo by shining lasers at aircraft,” said Capt.
Robb Powers, ALPA’s National Security Chairman. “This
outcome should serve as a warning to others who may be tempted to
endanger aircraft safety with lasers that doing so comes at a very
high price.”
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