Baiting a predator to get him arrested

[Gage.Jennings]

There are a ton of sexual predators in my home city and I was looking into creating a web show similar to Chris Hansen's predator catching show. The premise is to pose as a younger person online, arrange a meetup, and in the end, interview the predator and have them arrested. When posing as the child i wouldnt try to entrap the predator, I would simply allow themselves to make their own mistakes. What would be the legal process to come to an agreement with my local police department, and would this idea even be legal for myself?

 

[Zigner]

You need to tell us what US state.

You need to talk to the police department about your idea.
You need to talk to several lawyers about this, and have several of them in different specialties on retainer.
You need TONS of insurance.

 

[FlyingRon]

First off understand that REALITY TV ISN'T. There's a lot of controversy with the people behind Chris Hansen's program (google Perverted Justice). A goodly number of the "caught" people ended up not being prosecutable. Even in the cases where it was successful, it involved careful coordination with the law enforcement people. The show hasn't been on in a decade.

You just can't run your own sting and tell people to have a seat over there while you call 911. You're likely breaking several laws yourself.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

You just can't run your own sting and tell people to have a seat over there while you call 911. You're likely breaking several laws yourself.

Not to mention running a pretty good chance of getting hurt or killed.

 

[Gage.Jennings]

Not to mention running a pretty good chance of getting hurt or killed.

I understand the risks on my part, and planned to talk to my local police department, my end goal isnt to have them sentenced to prison for a long time, simply to bring awareness to my city and expose them as sex offenders. Jail time isnt important to me, getting them help and making sure the police have them on record is. I live in TX also.

 

[Gage.Jennings]

You need to tell us what US state.

You need to talk to the police department about your idea.
You need to talk to several lawyers about this, and have several of them in different specialties on retainer.
You need TONS of insurance.

I live in texas

 

[Zigner]

I understand the risks on my part, and planned to talk to my local police department, my end goal isnt to have them sentenced to prison for a long time, simply to bring awareness to my city and expose them as sex offenders. Jail time isnt important to me, getting them help and making sure the police have them on record is. I live in TX also.

You want to defame people by accusing them of heinous crimes for which they have not been convicted. Have I got that right?

 

[quincy]

I live in texas

You can contact the police and tell them you would like to help. They will either say they like your idea and could use your help or, more likely, say "thanks but no thanks."

Law enforcement agencies have their own special units with trained officers who work to capture sex offenders. They know what they legally can and cannot do.

Who is arrested, charged, prosecuted and sentenced for any crime would not be up to you in any case, nor would the length or type of sentence imposed on conviction of an individual be up to you. There are legal guidelines that are followed.

I suggest you leave crime fighting to the trained crime fighters. The best thing you can do is to report crimes to the police when you see them.

 

[Gage.Jennings]

You want to defame people by accusing them of heinous crimes for which they have not been convicted. Have I got that right?

No, i want to expose them for attempting to commit a crime. I dont intend to get them sentenced to any serious jail time, the main goal is to learn more about why they tried to do it, and talk to them without hostility. Not being mean to them. Im aware that they more than likely wont get any jail time, but in a city such as mine, there are alot of sex offenders, and any chance i get to open someones eyes to why what theyre doing is wrong, ill take it. Maybe it will prevent future offenses.

 

[Gage.Jennings]

You can contact the police and tell them you would like to help. They will either say they like your idea and could use your help or, more likely, say "thanks but no thanks."

Law enforcement agencies have their own special units with trained officers who work to capture sex offenders. They know what they legally can and cannot do.

Who is arrested, charged, prosecuted and sentenced for any crime would not be up to you in any case, nor would the length or type of sentence imposed on conviction of an individual be up to you. There are legal guidelines that are followed.

I suggest you leave crime fighting to the trained crime fighters. The best thing you can do is to report crimes to the police when you see them.

My purpose in this situation is to not try and get anyone jail time, only to talk to them and try to understand them. I know these people are mentally unstable, and they need help. If i could be the person to spark a desire in them to seek help, i think that would be better than any jail time or punishment.

 

[quincy]

My purpose in this situation is to not try and get anyone jail time, only to talk to them and try to understand them. I know these people are mentally unstable, and they need help. If i could be the person to spark a desire in them to seek help, i think that would be better than any jail time or punishment.

If your only interest is in understanding sexual predators and why they do what they do, I suggest you visit some of these offenders in prison.

If you want to help, sign up to volunteer at a rehabilitation center.

If you are interested in the legal aspects of sex offenses, perhaps you might want to consider enrolling in some community college criminal justice classes.

But your plan to "trap" potential sex offenders by posing online as someone you're not could backfire badly - and you might find yourself temporarily sharing a jail cell with alleged sex offenders while the police sort out just who is the bad guy in your scheme.

 

[Just Blue]

My purpose in this situation is to not try and get anyone jail time, only to talk to them and try to understand them. I know these people are mentally unstable, and they need help. If i could be the person to spark a desire in them to seek help, i think that would be better than any jail time or punishment.

That is not the way to go about it.

 

[Just Blue]

No, i want to expose them for attempting to commit a crime. I dont intend to get them sentenced to any serious jail time, the main goal is to learn more about why they tried to do it, and talk to them without hostility. Not being mean to them. Im aware that they more than likely wont get any jail time, but in a city such as mine, there are alot of sex offenders, and any chance i get to open someones eyes to why what theyre doing is wrong, ill take it. Maybe it will prevent future offenses.

Go and have a sit-down with a very good Criminal Law Attorney to discuss your...plan...

 

[Gage.Jennings]

If your only interest is in understanding sexual predators and why they do what they do, I suggest you visit some of these offenders in prison.

If you want to help, sign up to volunteer at a rehabilitation center.

If you are interested in the legal aspects of sex offenses, perhaps you might want to consider enrolling in some community college criminal justice classes.

But your plan to "trap" potential sex offenders by posing online as someone you're not could backfire badly - and you might find yourself temporarily sharing a jail cell with alleged sex offenders while the police sort out just who is the bad guy in your scheme.

I didmt think about it that way, thanks for your time