That one doesn't make any sense to me. The helicopter would certainly have ground speed via GPS. I don't get how you couldn't use that. A car can use its speedometer.

I remember seeing a laser pod on the wing of a CHP airplane and talking to them about it, but it was a long time ago and I couldn't confirm it more than finding pictures that show the pod (but maybe it's a camera).

Based on my experiences involving journalism and aviation, it is extremely possible that the author incorrectly described what the pilot was doing.