Catch a Predator

This is my 420th post. I was gonna hold off until I harvest my grow to post but this is just too weird to wait. I logged in last night and saw someone had responded to a thread I had responded in from a year ago. The thread was started by a 16yo. girl. I responded then saying she was pretty and looked a lot older than 16. Believe me, I just was being friendly and have no desire to hook up with a kid. That was a year ago. Last night some guy quoted my response from back then and said "Hi, I'm Chris Hansen from Dateline NBC". I guess that the punk-ass idiot thought he was being funny. He certainly wasn't. I had just finished watching a 20/20 expose' about how Catch a Predator was involved in an assistant DA in Texas committing suicide. The posting scared the shit out of me. But Birdgirl jumped on it fast and deleted the thread for the underage, I guess. I wrote an email to her to thank her and we've traded a couple emails. It turns out she saw that 20/20 thing too and also it was from her town. She was very familiar with the case. The cops are throwing out all (about 50 I think) arrests from that case. 20/20 also made a comment about the cops playing to the cameras throwing suspect down on the ground, every time. I always thought that was stupid. This whole thing could become a big can of worms. Since they have to throw out all the arrests from that case, I wonder about the hundreds of other arrests from that show. Will they all have to be reviewed? It's probably grounds for appeal anyway. Not to mention suits. The whole thing is just dumb as hell. Anyways... thanks again Birdgirl. It makes me feel good to know the mods are watching our backs.

You're welcome! That person who decided to make the "To Catch a Predator" joke probably didn't even realize the bad nature or timing of his joke. I'm just sorry that, coinciding with the airing of that show on "20/20," it happened to increase your uneasiness. That's the bad thing about Web-forum trolls. They capitalize on opportunities to do that, sometimes even unconsciously.

It's a sad day when one person is made to feel uncomfortable for paying another a lovely compliment, no matter what age those people are. We've gone overboard both in our zest for entrapment of pedophiles to grab TV ratings and in threats of litigiousness.

I see watching people's backs, and that very much includes the back of these boards, too, as one of the nicest aspects of this job.

isnt that entrapment, like what the feds are doing. or is that covered by the part of the law that lets you lie when under cover. i dont know the details and im certainly not saying they don't deserve to be caught, im just asking?

peace snoe

Yup.

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Originally Posted by birdgirl73

That's the bad thing about Web-forum trolls. They capitalize on opportunities to do that, sometimes even unconsciously.

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Wow. A shrink. Go psychiatry.

you do realize that show has been going on forever right? not really saying anything other then it's unlikely it was spawned from that nights viewing, rather probably picked it up weeks or even months ago.... i'd write off the timing as nothing more than coincidence...


however on the subject of throwing out arrests, personally i feel it's bullshit.... it's quite obvious what these people were doing there (i do watch the show alot) and there's no excuse to show otherwise (half of them even admit it) hell, one guy even had the audacity to get caught again by them not even a month later... for the same reason.... he came to some 'young girls' house, got told (he sat there naked too) then, met up with some other 'young girl' from a chat room.. only to get busted again.

i personally hate the show, as it gives these predators a second chance... it's like a warning "we're onto you, don't do it again" so to speak.... where as, if it werent for the show, the police could have been spending time conducting a real sting which would result in real convictions getting these guys off the street.

something the wife read and told me too let me unsettled... in areas where this show has happened, it not only didn't reduce the population of these people, it actually increased the predator count.... so they're not helping the problem, they're causing more problems....

maybe chris hasnen should be rammed up the ass and he'd stop thinking of rape as a novelty idea for a show to raise his fame and nbc's ratings.

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Originally Posted by slipknotpsycho

you do realize that show has been going on forever right? not really saying anything other then it's unlikely it was spawned from that nights viewing, rather probably picked it up weeks or even months ago.... i'd write off the timing as nothing more than coincidence...


however on the subject of throwing out arrests, personally i feel it's bullshit.... it's quite obvious what these people were doing there (i do watch the show alot) and there's no excuse to show otherwise (half of them even admit it) hell, one guy even had the audacity to get caught again by them not even a month later... for the same reason.... he came to some 'young girls' house, got told (he sat there naked too) then, met up with some other 'young girl' from a chat room.. only to get busted again.

i personally hate the show, as it gives these predators a second chance... it's like a warning "we're onto you, don't do it again" so to speak.... where as, if it werent for the show, the police could have been spending time conducting a real sting which would result in real convictions getting these guys off the street.

something the wife read and told me too let me unsettled... in areas where this show has happened, it not only didn't reduce the population of these people, it actually increased the predator count.... so they're not helping the problem, they're causing more problems....

maybe chris hasnen should be rammed up the ass and he'd stop thinking of rape as a novelty idea for a show to raise his fame and nbc's ratings.

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Good point. Sometimes I have even wondered if the show was all acted out, scripted, etc. As in, the predators were just actors. I don't know... was just a thought I had one night while really stoned, and laughing hysterically at Chris Hansen coming out of that corridor saying "I'm not quite what you expected, was I?" Hahahaha, oh man. That show is more comedy than anything. Me and one of my best friends love to watch that show while blazed. It's so fucking funny!

A problem with it is that the girl is not even underage. Or is she? From what I see, she never is. So it's like they're trying to enforce thought crimes, but not an actual crime itself. They never actually have sex with the girls (and even if they did, they're not underage anyway). So what crime is it that they're committing? Sure, they came with the intent to have sex with a supposed underage girl... but really, they never actually did. Anybody here think about that? Also, I am surprised that none of the predators on the show actually ask them this... why they are being arrested for a crime they never committed, but thought of committing?
I didn't realize that thinking of committing a crime was a crime...

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Originally Posted by mfqr

Good point. Sometimes I have even wondered if the show was all acted out, scripted, etc. As in, the predators were just actors. I don't know... was just a thought I had one night while really stoned, and laughing hysterically at Chris Hansen coming out of that corridor saying "I'm not quite what you expected, was I?" Hahahaha, oh man. That show is more comedy than anything. Me and one of my best friends love to watch that show while blazed. It's so fucking funny!

A problem with it is that the girl is not even underage. Or is she? From what I see, she never is. So it's like they're trying to enforce thought crimes, but not an actual crime itself. They never actually have sex with the girls (and even if they did, they're not underage anyway). So what crime is it that they're committing? Sure, they came with the intent to have sex with a supposed underage girl... but really, they never actually did. Anybody here think about that? Also, I am surprised that none of the predators on the show actually ask them this... why they are being arrested for a crime they never committed, but thought of committing?
I didn't realize that thinking of committing a crime was a crime...

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the crime is an actual crime in some states, whether the 'kid' is actually a kid or not, and it's solicitation of a minor... in those states, even a 40 year old man could claim to be say a 15 year old girl, and if the 'prey' comes with visible intent to have sex with that minor they can be arrested AND tried...

over the last couple of years in the houston area there have been quite a few stings using this same method to arrest suspected predators.... but they don't even have to prove they intended to have sex with them... all they have to do is show sexual intent online, and show up... and boom... pretty much instant conviction, although most are cut loose with registration and probation, right back on the streets.... (and people wonder why there's such a high rate of re-offending.. well duh, wtf do you honestly expect..? you gave them nothing more than a scare and slap on the wrist and set them free)

and no, the bait girls (or boys for some episodes) are usually 19... although i must say, they have extremely small statures, even for 'young' adults...

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Originally Posted by slipknotpsycho

the crime is an actual crime in some states, whether the 'kid' is actually a kid or not, and it's solicitation of a minor...

and no, the bait girls (or boys for some episodes) are usually 19... although i must say, they have extremely small statures, even for 'young' adults...

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That's ridiculous. If it was an actual kid, then it would make sense. But since it isn't... well, you get the idea. It really doesn't make sense when you're charged with "solicitation of a minor" when he/she was not even a minor. These people are being arrested for absolutely no reason. Innocent until proven guilty. If the girl is 18 or older, and she consents, then it's legal... regardless if she claims to be under 18.

yeah, but how many recent laws (as in made within the last 100 or so years) actually make sense... or are completely hypocrisy free? ~shrug~ all i can say is don't get caught trying to hoook up with a kid and you're fine lol..

What is scary about this is when we start down the slippery slope, and believe me we already are, Whose civil rights do we remove next? currently it is sex offenders and drunk drivers. Granted it is worse for the sex offenders currently, but it is becoming more draconian for the drunk drivers.

I do not advocate rape or drunk driving, but at the same time I do not advocate the blatant civil rights violations they are subjected to. Do u think it is going to stop there? How long until u find yourself labeled a terrorist for production of MJ? Sounds crazy right, it could happen once we start down that slippery slope there is no telling where we will end up.

2b2s

i'm sorry but i can't feel bad for these guy's...always with "i have never done anything like this and i wasn't gonna do anything with her"(eventho i brought condoms) they've done it befor and will do it again, and again and again (you get the idea) When you are one of these fuckers and your comming after MY little girl, you waive your civil rights and your right to life..when an adult man targets little girls for sex, the punishment should be loss of life first time everytime without fail. This would guarantee 0% re-offender rate

As parents we have a responsibility to inform our children about the predators and monitor their chats. My son/daughter is not inviting women/men on the net over for sex. This seems to be the way the trap is set. I believe that a pedophile will re-offend and should be given life when found guilty by a jury of his/her peers, but they should be given a fair trial like everyone else. seems to me a break in artist is a bigger threat to my families safety than some pervert on the net.

2b2s

Do u really believe that a 16 year old is a child? Cause i don't.

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Originally Posted by mfqr

That's ridiculous. If it was an actual kid, then it would make sense. But since it isn't... well, you get the idea. It really doesn't make sense when you're charged with "solicitation of a minor" when he/she was not even a minor. These people are being arrested for absolutely no reason. Innocent until proven guilty. If the girl is 18 or older, and she consents, then it's legal... regardless if she claims to be under 18.

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online she pretended to be a minor and the predators wanted to have sex with the minor. the girl is just there for bait so that the predator comes in and shows intend to have sex. then they arest them.

even though the actor was not underage, the predator wanted to have sex with an underage person. in other words if the actor was underage...... you know whats up.

I used to watch that "To Catch a Predator" show, but then I really started thinking about it, and it made me sick.

Basically, you have people being arrested, charged and jailed because of a set-up/sting by an entertainment company! I recently read that prosecutors really hate these cases because there's so much "gray area" that even if they were to get a conviction, it probably would be tossed on appeal because of how these people were arrested.

Also, a former producer for the show was fired because she questioned some of the tactics they used to try and "trick" these men into making a date with a child. She said that it really crosses the line into entrapment pretty easily.

I don't know what's worse, a show like this being so popular, or the fact that a media company has suddenly turned into law enforcement. Frankly, its the latter that scares me the most.

Really, it's like a bad take off on George Orwell's 1984, but it was real.

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Originally Posted by king of the world

online she pretended to be a minor and the predators wanted to have sex with the minor. the girl is just there for bait so that the predator comes in and shows intend to have sex. then they arest them.

even though the actor was not underage, the predator wanted to have sex with an underage person. in other words if the actor was underage...... you know whats up.

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Yep, seen it many times. The point is, she's not underage. It doesn't matter if the so-called predator wanted to have sex with an underage girl (or boy), because the person who lured him there is not underage. For instance, even if they did have sex, and the girl said "YA IM 12 LOL" it wouldn't matter, because she is not underage. Also, these guys are pretty stupid, but it's still ridiculous how they pull this shit off. If they wanted to make this more legit, they would have to actually have a minor lure the guy. But in all of these, it's like arresting someone for a thought crime. Look, they're Thought Criminals! Haha.

It certainly is not a new or rare occurrence to be arrested for a "thought crime"

They can merely call it "Conspiracy to commit ___________" and give someone nearly the same punishment as if they had committed the crime.

Another criticism of the show is that they do not allow the offenders time to change their minds. Perhaps many men would get there and think "Do I really want to throw my life and my family, career, everything away for this.... is it worth it?" Some might have changed their minds.

Are there actually teenagers ('cuz that's what we're talking about here, teenagers, not just kids) that talk to people over the internet the same way as the sting operators do when they're talking to the predators (or are they prey?)? 'Cuz, I mean, if these underaged people are really setting stuff up like this, you gotta ask where are the parents?