Reason: Florida Cops Re-Arrest 26 Sex Offenders in ‘Operation Karma.’ Their Crime? Not Updating Their Car Info.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Department in Florida is touting its successful completion of “Operation Karma,” a three-day sting in which cops arrested 26 registered sex offenders for violating various legal obligations imposed on them.
“They are apparently up to no good and we are going to hold them accountable,” Sheriff Grady Judd promises The Miami Herald.
But there is no evidence that any of the arrested people were a danger to anyone. They were not re-arrested for approaching children, or committing sex acts. In most cases, they were arrested for failing to register their vehicles with the government. This is understandable: sex offenders in Florida are required to provide the government with up-to-date information regarding their name, age, sex, height, weight, tattoos, hair color, address, email address, telephone number, social media accounts, employment information, and vehicle information. It’s probably fairly easy for a sex offender to forget to constantly re-supply necessary information.
But it’s absurd to suggest that these un-registered cars posed some kind of danger to the community. And yet The Miami Herald happily entertained this fantasy, allowing Grady and his office to essentially take a victory lap in the pages of the newspaper. The Herald also printed the mugshots of all the offenders, listed their names, and provided not only the reason for their re-arrests but information on their initial arrests. In practice, this means that many of these offenders—who range in age from 57 all the way down to 19—are being shamed for crimes they committed years and decades ago.
A bunch of mugshots of middle-aged men convicted of sex offenses against minors makes for a frightening image. But I did the math, and most of these people were in their 20s, or teens themselves, when they were first convicted.
Discover more from Florida Action Committee (FAC)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Karma?
Karma for forgetting to or not understanding what is supposed to be registered? Karma isn’t that much of a bitch, as they say. So no, not that.
Karma for an old offense for which the debt had already been undertaken? Yes, that seems to be their intention in the op name.
The irony is that if karma truly exists, Grady and his thugs are in neck deep of the bad kind at this point.
Go Nomad in an RV, VAN CONVERSION or Pickup with camper. YouTube search: RTR 2019…Travel and live free on the road. Get to know laws of places traveled…ie. Arizona and New Mexico have 10 days before you must register…its applied county by county so just move every 9 days simple!
These situations are becoming more and more pathetic. I just can’t believe that in our great nation where to billions of people around the world that the word AMERICA=FREEDOM and this is how freedom is exploited on a daily basis. By humiliation and a perpetual life sentence with no regard to a person’s feelings, life, and how to survive in this country without constant ridicule and in a lot of cases threats of endangerment. I would rather be labeled a murderer. Even living under a communistic government would be better
I would rather be labeled a murderer. Even living under a communistic government would be better –
Interestingly, I was just telling a family member the same thing when I was telling her how ” special ” we registered citizens are treated in comparison to other crimes.
And how much did Polk County SPEND on Operation Karma to catch these “hardened criminals?”
Shouldn’t these cops be out fighting REAL crimes instead of manufacturing crimes?
Well, I guess Florida is officially off my list of preferred destinations.
Similar thing happened to me back in 2011. Local tracking team found and old and not used email address that ai had totally forgotten about and was unregistered. They were trying to put me back in prison for 9 1/2 years. Fortunately for me I had a generous benefactor who helped me with legal fees and an excellent attorney. Took almost 2 years of fighting it to get charge reduced to misdemeanor obstruction and I agreed to 1 year probation for which I did 6 months. Even though this current charge was not a sex crime I was made to do SO probation. It seems to me that no matter what minor slip we make whether intentional or unintentional they are just trying to put us away again. Its strikingly clear to me that the intent of all of these rules and laws is to make life so miserable in Florida that we will just leave and go somewhere else. I’m 71 and believe that they will never stop trying for as long as I live if I stay here. Just my opinion.
Its sad but I have to agree with you. They will never let this go. No matter how many facts they achieve from professionals, no matter how much media is produced to prove the laws to be unjust I am saddened to believe you are right they will never change their preconceived notions about sex offenses. Interestingly I recently had a conversation with an educator and she felt that many of the people either the voters or the legislators were victims of such crimes or directly know of a victim and it stays with them psychologically and they will not ever change their perception. These types of crimes has had the largest ripple affect through out our history. It is global and we are a minority that in the eyes of the world have no business to be free or even alive.
An educator to you that …” in the eyes of the world have no business to be free or even alive.”
Really?
I and the registered citizen community are human beings. We most certainly deserve to be alive and treated both humanely and fairly. We not only deserve the same Constitutional Rights as the rest of the USA, but we DEMAND them as well.
You should go back to that educator Frank and let them know your a human too.
Your spot on Frank, when I was going through my trial attorney to really nice job getting prejudicial people out of the jury box, the overwhelming number of them admitted to having a close friend sexually abused as a child those who once cried harder than the ones who have been abused themselves when asked about their feelings many of them broke down and sobbed uncontrollably fear And emotion replace facts and judgment.
Does this mean when we get old we can violate to get free health care, housing and food?
I prefer what I have now to the other circumstance you mention. That is not an option for me. EVER
DaryIS, thank you for sharing your expression with us. Like you, I also feel that Florida Lawmakers are trying to make our lives so hard that we just give up and move away. It is for this reason, why we must stay and fight the injustice that lawmakers and law enforcers are doing. Yes, both entities are trying their best efforts to suppress us, but soon they will realize that they are suppressing themselves in a circle of useless efforts which does not stop nor protect anyone from substations that may occur. It’s this false scene of security that they portray to the public as they dehumanize us in many way. All things said, I feel that we will have our day of justice. In the meantime, we must STAY TOGETHER, STAY STRONG, & GROW MIGHTY AND FIGHT BACK !!!!
Cant leave, cant move, who wants a sex offender from Florida