Federal officers in Portland may have been permanently blinded by lasers, officials say
https://www.foxnews.com/us/portland-...VCtG6GRVRSqNJE
At least three federal officers in Portland may not recover their vision after earlier this week demonstrators, who have shown up in crowds of over 1,000 for more than 50 consecutive nights, shined lasers in their eyes and threw fireworks at a federal courthouse, officials said.When officers responded to put out these fires, glass bottles were thrown and lasers which can cause permanent blindness were shined in their eyes, Cline said. We have three officers who currently have eye injuries and they may not recover sight in those eyes from those laser attacks.Red, green and purple lasers were aimed by rioters at federal officers through the courthouse doors while one group used a strobe light on the building. A commercial-grade mortar firework was fired in the vicinity of the Hatfield Courthouse front doors.
Cline explained that these incendiary fireworks were launched at the courthouse at the same time that rioters had barricaded the front entrance of the courthouse, potentially trapping federal officers inside.
The U.S. Marshals Service also reported communications jamming the first reported instance since the riots have started -- which may have caused significant problems with their radio communications.
The FDA regulates both medical and non medical lasers in the U.S. however both IR and visible lasers exceeding FDA power restriction are commonly imported illegally by being labeled at a lower power level or not declared.
https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitti...s-about-lasers
Previously this was primarily an issue with aircraft but it is becoming common enough in civil unrest that LE agencies are adding laser eye injuries to use of force and assaulted officer protocols.
Blindness or permanent loss of vision certainly qualifies as serious bodily injury.
How are Agencies handling this issue and what are the implications for use of deadly force in response ?