The FBI says it will pay out $10,000 under a reward program for information that leads to the arrest of anyone who points a laser at an aircraft in flight.
The reward initiative will run for 60 days as part of an awareness program with local law enforcement to educate teens about the dangers associated with shining powerful laser devices at aircraft.
The FBI says laser incidents have climbed more than 1,100 percent since 2005. Last year they occurred, on average, about 11 times a day.
The types of lasers that are being pointed at aircraft are far more powerful than the tiny laser pointers used by educators and others to highlight information for a group. They can start fires and burn the retinas of those they are pointed at, making them especially dangerous when directed toward aircraft.
Anyone convicted of shining a laser at an aircraft in flight in the United States faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
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