It’s time for law enforcement to step in and stop vigilantes and opportunist “predator hunters”
They give themselves names like “Dads Against Predators”, “Predator Snatchers”, “Predator Patrol” or “POPSquad”. They are groups of vigilantes who admittedly intentionally stage bait operations to lure individuals to locations thinking they are meeting a minor for sex, so they can film them. The videos are then posted to social media sites, such as YouTube, where the vigilantes cash in on advertising revenue.
Predator Poachers, a group started just last year now has over 160,000 subscribers, Dads Against Predators boasts that it’s videos have more than 800,000 views and POPSquad has put up more than 160 videos. The groups think of themselves as guardian angels for children, but law enforcement is strongly opposed to them. The reasons their tactics are a very bad idea are obvious.
First, the public only sees the “take down” but knows nothing about the tactics that were used to bait their targets. Were they in an adult site where there would be no expectation they would be chatting with a minor? Did they pull a bait and switch, pretending to be an adult and then introduce a pretend minor who the target had no interest in meeting? Did they induce, encourage or entrap the person into conduct they had no interest in? Or, did they manufacture the entire “crime” to begin with just to produce a video? Second, there is no concern for the safety of the target or themselves for that matter. What if the confrontation turns physical? What if unrelated bystanders get hurt in an altercation? What happens if someone pulls a gun? Also, these stings are almost always useless to law enforcement or prosecutors because they don’t follow required protocols.
This article discusses one group’s tactics and you can see clearly where the bait and switch is:
Around mid-December, about two weeks before Christmas, Bee and Austin began the usual process, starting with a Grindr account with Bee’s picture (“I’m 19, but I look 15,” he says). In minutes, a 49-year-old man named “Adam” hit up Bee looking to meet Bee and “his brother.” “You gonna suck my dick tonight,” “Adam” messaged. “I’ll do whatever you wanna do hahaha,” responded Bee. “What about a threesome,” “Adam” said. “I’m sure he’ll be down,” Bee said.
They would meet in the bicycle section of the Walmart, as Bee suggested, where they had hid a camera on a nearby shelf. In the video it captured, a white-haired, bespectacled “Adam”—really an Akron-area teacher—strides up to Bee, hands pocketed. “Are you the guy? Adam?” Bee says, visibly anxious. “Do you wanna head outside?” Adam whispers. “So, what do you wanna do?” Bee, says, rubbing his chin.
Twenty seconds later, Bee’s crew rushes “Adam,” sticking their phones in his face. “What are you doing here, bro?” Bee shouts in a deeper voice. “You know I’m fifteen, right?” Adam scowls, aware he’s been busted. He throws up the hood on his windbreaker to hide his face and walks coolly to the exit. As he does, Bee screams to shoppers in the aisle, “Watch out, everyone! He’s here to meet a 15-year-old boy!”
Wait… did he say the “usual process” is to go on Grindr (a site whose Terms of Service state in capital letters, “NO USE BY UNDERAGE PERSONS. NO PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS (OR TWENTY-ONE (21) YEARS IN PLACES WHERE EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS IS NOT THE AGE OF MAJORITY) MAY DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY VIEW, POSSESS OR OTHERWISE USE THE GRINDR SERVICES. YOU MUST BE A LEGAL ADULT.”? Did he also say “I’m 19, but I look 15”? So he baits someone to a Walmart under the guise that he’s meeting an adult, but then accuses him of coming to meet a minor?
The article continues that when the school district saw the YouTube video the put him on administrative leave and removed him from the classroom. So an individual who was on an adult site, thinking he was meeting a consenting adult, gets accosted in a supermarket, shamed online and his career placed in jeopardy, What if he wasn’t out as gay? That’s a personal choice that should not have been taken away from him and forcibly outing someone is a violation of their privacy.
The article also continues to tell of another situation:
A few weeks after Jake’s video was posted on DAP’s Youtube channel, Joshua called me panicking. The day before, he did a catch with a man who was a well-known driving instructor in the Fremont area. The catch was surprisingly quick: He was waiting in his car outside Jay’s old house—waiting for sex with a 14-year-old—when Joshua rushed him with his camera on. The man sped off. “He told me, ‘I’ll be dead in the morning,’” Joshua says. The next day, Joshua received a frantic call from the Fremont Police: The man had hung himself in his living room.
There’s enough wrong with police stings that amateurs shouldn’t be conducting them and posting them to social media for profit or to become “internet famous”. It’s time that law enforcement stepped in to stop them.
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Was this article written by a Pedophile lol
I’m sure it was
Go meet an adult or get treatment for your sick fantasies.
Don’t go on ADULT dating sites and then
half ass “claim” to be a minor, and then once you’ve been turned down, keep pursuing your “bait” and send photos of an obvious adult as a lure…talk about sick fantasies.
That’s not what’s happening, Predator Poachers have instagram pages that clearly show 8 years old, they use photos of what looks like an 8 year old girl. Looks like you fell for “bait” once or twice, ah. defend your own I guess, right?
You’re confused. No one on here has accessed Predator Poachers IG page.
You don’t really know what this forum is about, do you?
You’re obviously mad at SOMEONE. Deep down, I suspect that someone is yourself.
But keep telling yourself you’re above the “pedos,” if it makes you feel better.
Are you admitting to posting pictures of 8-year-old girls on Instagram?
What do you think that suggests about you?
Lmao…wrong answer..just observations from a reasonable person who knows that “stranger danger” and other such catch phrases is nothing more than a way to scare the ignorant. I’ve seen the crap “stings” on Facebook and other media sites. Nothing more than bait and switch tactics to get likes, and to take the focus away from those who do prey on minors, the 95 percent of people the victim actually knows, not someone on an ADULT dating site looking for another ADULT.
This isn’t even close to true I have seen dozens of videos where they clearly state that they are underage in the text they say it multiple times and even ask if the person is okay with it and they show video graphic evidence of the text conversation I’ve seen multiple videos where actual police from the actual police department arrest these people and who in the hell would pretend to be a pedophile online who would voluntarily go on YouTube or Facebook or any of these other social media sites and put their face out there saying yep I’m the pedophile from the video you would only put yourself an incredible danger
You just admitted watching multiple videos of underage subjects.
May I suggest you consult with a lawyer, rather than post that here.
You said in your comment “actual police”. There’s a whole different mind frame, motive, protocol, and set of standards the police have to follow in order to get a conviction. Thus, is why a online sting would mention the person online posing to be underage has to state they are underage several times so that there is no mistake that they are underage. Without it, the prosecutor has no case. Same with any type of sting/investigation. Drugs, dealing in stolen property, prostitution etc. There has to be solid evidence that the perpetrators cannot back out of or leave anything beyond a reasonable doubt with a jury.
Vigilantes on the other hand do not have this set of standards to follow. They have their own set of standards and motives. This is why we pay taxes for people to uphold the law and go to law school to prosecute and/or defend the law. Not take the law into our own hands “Vigilantism”. I just felt like pointing this out. Other wise the world we live would be in complete chaos. With this statement by no means am I defending a pedophiles. I am defending why laws are put in place. Just wanted to put that in here for the closed minded person.
Tim P. – out
No you get treatment for yours first.
What they need is to be behind bars they need to be banned from the woodlands mall and the woodlands someone should do something and call the cops
If I can’t meet someone in person, then I don’t meet them. Too many tales of horrors on the internet.
Happened to me. Went to meet someone who was 19 on an adult site. I went to meet for coffee and was jumped by six guys accussing me of wanting to meet a 15 year old. Not once did i believe i was meeting anyone underage. I was facebook shamed and received death threats like you wouldnt believe. They told people where my family worked and encouraged the harrassment. I agree predators need to be stopped…but if you really think someone is a predator then why feel the need to post it live and try to glorify yourself instead of going directly to the police. Now that i have been falsely accused i have had to hire an attorney and spend a lot of money that i will never get back just to get my name off their website, which is run by people with a significant criminal history.
Hey Leif, currently facing the same situation as you. Any information on a good attorney and what ball park of money im looking at losing here would be appreciated.
I’ve talked to a few attorneys already but the expense seems outrageous to get something fixed when the evidence clearly shows I’m innocent.
Jay
Same Conundrum! I Hate to Say This, But, Most Attorneys That Focus on this Type of Law are Very Few! Most Attorneys Do Not Want to be Associated with this Type of Law….They are mostly married to Significant others, Have Families and Live and Thrive in Their Communities…so to Be Known to ‘DEFEND’ one of US, is, Well, a Major Concern, Etc!
Those That I have spoken to, in the past, YES, WANT STUPID MONIES UP FRONT…..And, I am Not So Sure, Any Of Them Really Know The Statutory Laws Etc….As Applied in Our Settings!
This is Just Another Hurdle, That Really Really Hurts US ALL!
So, Therefore, any Reasonable Person, Can Certainly Ascertain, That, We, Registered Citizens, Really are Disenfranchised!
Happy New Year To All!
Some these so called catchers are committing crimes themselves like doxing using an electronic device to post the victim’s confidential information(phone number or their addresses…)without their consent which is illegal.
Cyberbullying will burn your trust with others, especially if co workers are supposed to shair phone numbers with each other, who wants work with these sociopaths if you can’t trust them with your phone number when they are recklessly throwing wild accusations at people that disagree with them, I know none of you will, you guys know what you people are doing is illegal.
At least these groups being criticized for not adhering to investigative standards shines some light onto the topic and raises questions about what the actual standards are. From my research (and quite possibly from this site) there is a loose set of standards that investigators are to abide by. But getting a current copy of those standards and procedures is almost impossible. I can only find outdated ones. The Dr Phil link shows how the self righteous beliefs and actions of these individuals/groups lack a level of insight into the criminal justice system. To think that their good intentions can make up for an investigators decade of experience and training is laughable. But so is the tactics of investigators often.
I agree, what these vigilantes they are,
predators them selves…….
but we all do know well, the guy that meets up with a minor has bad intentions
I wont defend either 1 of them cause they are both wrong in there actions.