Better Call Saul fans may remember Werner Ziegler blinding a security camera with a laser pointer in the episode "Wiedersehen." The trick is clever, but does it work in real life? Well, kind of. Laser pointers can blind security cameras and, in some cases, permanently damage them. However, this would require a very powerful laser, an older camera and an extremely steady hand. Possible, but difficult. In most places, it is also illegal.
In 2021, a Clearwater man was arrested for pointing a laser at several surveillance cameras owned by the Church of Scientology. The laser did not destroy the cameras, but it left dead spots on their lenses, resulting in over $2,000 in damages. The cameras still caught him red-handed.
Security cameras are more susceptible to strong light than the human eye. Lasers emit concentrated beams at high intensity, which can overwhelm the CMOS or CCD sensors found in most CCTV cameras. The laser can temporarily blind the sensor, and prolonged exposure produces heat that can create dead pixels and dark spots. Lasers under 5mW are unlikely to cause more than temporary glare. However, under US Food and Drug Administration regulations, handheld laser pointers exceeding 5mW are illegal to market, sell or promote, so anyone with a laser strong enough to cause real damage faces larger problems than a damaged lens.
Even with a powerful laser, holding it steady on a lens for a long time is very difficult. Researchers at IPVM found it "very difficult" to keep a laser on target from roughly 5 feet away. Modern cameras also offer better sensor protections. Vince Gilligan, co-creator of Better Call Saul, reportedly admitted that Ziegler's trick would only work on a camera model from the 1960s.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing