Excellent info, Alladin.

One thing I have noticed about most of these stings, whether they are for solicitation crimes or child porn downloading offences, is that they are done over and over by the same local law enforcement people. Usually there is one or two cities in the state with a sheriff or police department that conducts all the stings.

They usually have one officer---the same officer in many cases----and all he does is sit at a computer screen while on duty and carry out these stings. At least that is the pattern I have noticed in my state and a couple of the surrounding states. Same department, same officer, same circumstances.

When I read about a sting operation in my state or in southwest Missouri, even before I read into the article, I know which jurisdiction carried out the sting and the officer involved.

rewdiazepam

I know exactly what you're talking about with Missouri or Oklahoma stings but Florida does things quite a bit different. They have 3 main regional ICAC task forces and at least one member agency of each task force is supposed to conduct an enticement sting at least once per quarter.

In this one, the agency performing the sting was the Manatee County Sheriff's Office which is a member of the Central Florida ICAC task force. This one sting resulted in 43 arrests in less than a week. Another member of the same task force, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, did a sting in January that resulted in 50 arrests in less than a week. According to the news reports that one involved over 200 officers pulled from all the member agencies.

I think Oklahoma and Missouri stings are done by rogue investigators who just like to do that sort of thing.

Sounds like Florida has much more organization to it---they have it down to an art form.

rewdiazepam

"Rogue investigators" is far too polite a term for them. I can think of many other ways to describe the Southwest MO investigators.

This is Sunday and Father's Day. I am on my best behaviour today, so I am trying to be polite. Yeah, I hate them.

I think we are thinking of the same guys here. There is one particular guy from Joplin and one that operates out of Diamond, Mo. I read about all their exploits in The Joplin Globe. Makes me sick.

The guy in Oklahoma that does most all the stings is from Guthrie. Lately he had been on a tear.

rewdiazepam

Yeah and shady Grady takes great pleasure in it and gets on the TV and ask like an idiot. Spouting all kinds of misinformation. I think he's one of the ones that has something to hide. He protests too much

now that would make a good investigative report on the news..expose how low down those guys will go to trap someone. though i am not familiar with any of these cases. i have heard how relentlessly they are in pursuing their victim (the offender) into engaging in illegal activity...how is that different from lets say a narc enticing drugs onto someone that has never used drugs before and then arresting them for doing so?

these cops seem like they are too lazy and would rather sit on their asses all day than go out and deal with real criminals

Well, Jackie, they are lazy, but also these agencies receive substantial federal grants in the form of money to carry out the "battle against internet predators." With the money they receive they can buy all their "toys" and play super cop. Carrying out these stings pays, and pays well.

Hell, they are not about to stop the gravy train (money train) now by going out and catching real criminals.

rewdiazepam

what a great page i like the idea it is all about internet stings and nothing else. so many pages get bogged down trying to be everything to everyone but i find staying on one topic. keeps it neat, tidy and easy to find what you are looking for. will keep it in my personal stock pile of offender issues. thanks for sharing.

@jackiecook

I can't reveal all the details because I don't even know all of them yet but what I can tell you is that your idea is most definitely in the works so stay tuned.

@rewdiazepam

You hit the nail on the head it's all about the money. The only thing I would add is if they can't keep the arrest numbers up the federal money goes away. If they increase the arrest numbers then they are rewarded with even more money.

@jackiecook

Thanks for the comments. You pretty much summed up all of my thoughts and reasons for making it the way I did.

then this is something that can be taken to the federal level...there was discussion about how the walk on washington would have any real benefit since most of the laws are state petitioned...well, follow the money and it leads to d.c. doesnt it? which could be one of the issues that we can focus on a federal level? that is a question and not an opinion. as i am not to savvy when it comes to laws and law making. still learning and still asking dumb questions to do so, so please be patient with me.

@jackiecook

There's absolutely nothing dumb about your post at all! In fact you skipped ahead right to heart of the issue. The ICAC program is all about "Federal resources at the local level". Cut off the federal funding and you cut the local investigators off at the knees.

Having said that it is a complex issue that can get very confusing at times and I'm not sure of the best way to take it on. Right now it seems to me the best way is to establish a given task force like the Central Florida task force for example, is not complying with the federal mandates of the ICAC Program. The penalty for that is supposed to be having any federal funding revoked.

I am totally against entrapment. On the flip side, though, if a person doesn't do anything illegal, then there is nothing to entrap a person with. Am I wrong?

Deena

Deena - point taken but this is one of those circumstances where there is a difference between morally right and legally right - the stories I have heard usually involve someone going to an adult chat room or advertising site and encounter an offer to be with a teenage girl. One that does not really exist mind you. From what I understand many times even if the person tries to change their mind and cut off communication the "girl" will pursue them very aggressively. I have said all along it is entrapment because to be entrapment it has to be where a cop offers something that is a crime to someone in a place that that person would not normally expect to find that crime. So if the person is going to an adult chat room then they would not expect to find an offer from a teenager and that makes it entrapment. If you go to a part of town known to have prostitution and a cop approached you with an offer and you accept it then it is not entrapment but if you go to Disney and a cop walks up to you and offers prostitution then it is entrapment. So that person did not go to that place to commit a crime but then that crime presented itself.