A measurement procedure is proposed to retrieve the profiles of atmospheric aerosol backscatter coefficients (β_a) from the results of multi-wavelength sounding of the atmosphere by a laser location system based on a Nd: YAG-laser. The procedure uses a regression dependence between spectral values of β_a (background aerosol model) and involves the determination of coefficients which characterize the relative spectral behavior of aerosol extinction. The stability of the procedure to spatial variations of the above coefficients, a deviation of β_a from the dependence used, and calibration and measurement errors is examined. This procedure is compared with the widely used Fernald method by means of a numeric experiment. This procedure is demonstrated to be effective for retrieving vertical profiles of β _a in the troposphere, especially in the short-wavelength region.