Web Site Hunts Pedophiles, and TV Goes Along [Perverted Justice and Dateline]

New York Times ^ | December 13, 2006 | ALLEN SALKIN

[68skylark]

Last month, the Web site Perverted-Justice.com posted news of the conviction of Sean Young, a Wisconsin man sentenced to 10 years in state prison for soliciting sex online from a 14-year-old girl. According to a transcript of an online chat posted on the site, at one point Mr. Young had asked the girl, identified only as Billie, what she was wearing. When she answered “sweats,” Mr. Young typed back that if she were his daughter, “i’d make u wear sexy clthes.”

Billie turned out to be an adult volunteer for Perverted Justice, an anti-pedophile group, and when Mr. Young drove to a house where he expected to meet the teenager for sex, he was arrested by sheriff’s deputies.

The conviction was logged as the 104th that Perverted Justice says it has been responsible for since 2003, a tally that as of yesterday had reached 113. What started as one man’s quest to rid his regional Yahoo chat room of lewd adults has grown into a nationwide force of cyberspace vigilantes, financed by a network television program hungry for ratings.

“It’s a kind of blog that has turned into a crime-fighting resource,” said Robert McCrie, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan.

Perverted Justice is best known for putting its online volunteers at the disposal of the television newsmagazine “Dateline NBC,” which has broadcast 11 highly rated programs in which would-be pedophiles are lured to “sting houses,” only to be surprised by a camera crew and, usually, the police.

Despite that publicity, the inner workings of Perverted Justice and its reclusive founder remain largely a mystery, even as the group has emerged as one of the most effective unofficial law enforcement groups in the country, a kind of Neighborhood Watch of the Net....

[fatnotlazy]

I heard that in the beginning the Dateline series used a decoy pretending to be a 14 YO boy. They have changed to girls because the number of men trolling for the boys looked bad for the MSM favored "minority."
***

They've used both "boys" and "girls" at various times -- sometimes in the same series. I do recall reading or hearing something though that said the majority of the perps they are trying to catch seem to target girls. I'll have to do some digging to see if I can find it.

[Watershed]

You are absolutely correct. NBC DID make a big deal of the military perverts--more so than the others. Still, a pedophile is a pedophile.

[ustanker]

Have to admit it's a great show......Love the look on the perverts face when Hanson walks out and reads the evidence and the perverts try and lie.They can reel them in like a fishing line.One was a heart doctor.Coward was crying to his wife to bring his bail money.

[corlorde]

I agree. They are doing an excellent service.

[Clifford The Big Red Dog]

We need professional law enforcement people to do these jobs, not a bunch of vigilantes. Vigilantism is always wrong...no matter how good their intentions.

[corlorde]

They work with law enforcement. They are contacted all the time by police departments for training and help.

I say let them rock on.

[Charlespg]

[Squawk 8888]

has grown into a nationwide force of cyberspace vigilantes

If this reporter knew how to use a dictionary, he might be surprised to discover that one who reports a crime to law enforcement is NOT a "vigilante".

[fatnotlazy]

We need professional law enforcement people to do these jobs, not a bunch of vigilantes. Vigilantism is always wrong...no matter how good their intentions.

***


Ordinarily I would agree with you, but...you notice that Dateline/Perverted Justice does work with the local authorities and not independently The perps walk into the sting and as soon as they walk out, they are arrested. To be fair, at least some of these episodes take place in rural areas or small towns. Most small towns (and even larger cities) don't have the resources and manpower to do the job themselves. So I think this type of cooperation (police, PJ and Dateline) is a win-win thing. At least for the moment, we get these dangerous animals off the streets.

By the way, I love Clifford...and the pic. :)

[elc]

We've seen most of these episodes. I don't think they relished in pointing out the military guys anymore than the doctors, teachers, etc.

And in almost all of the ones I can remember they made a point of highlighting what profession each perp was in.

[GungaLaGunga]

The perv as victim.

[fatnotlazy]

Have to admit it's a great show......Love the look on the perverts face when Hanson walks out and reads the evidence and the perverts try and lie.They can reel them in like a fishing line.One was a heart doctor.Coward was crying to his wife to bring his bail money.

***

Worst one was the guy who showed up with his 5 year old son in tow. If I remember right, they had to call in a female agent to take the child while they arrested the idiot father. Good grief...what kind of lowlife would bring his child with him while he sexually assaults a young girl? Sick or maybe just plain evil.

[Dante3]

Ditto. Dateline has done a real service by exposing teachers and others who have access to children. It should make at least some pedophiles think twice and make some of the parents who seemed to be in denial to realize the dangers involved in the Internet. I know parents who actually let their children have a TV and computer in their room.

[Right Cal Gal]

And the song is always the same with each one of them, although the lyrics vary a bit with each. Sing along with me --

"I don't know why I was doing this." (Yes you DO, Merv the Perv - yes you DO)

"This is the first time I've ever done this." (No, this is the first time you've been caught.")

"I just wanted to talk to her/him." (About what? The dangers of alcohol and use of condoms, which you happened to bring with you?)

[fatnotlazy]

"This is the first time I've ever done this." (No, this is the first time you've been caught.")

***

Seems that when the authorities check the perp out, usually, he has had at least one arrest...some of these bums have been in and out of jail for similar charges and sometimes a lot worse. I recall once, Dateline interviewed a victim of one of their perps -- she had been molested (maybe even raped) by him years ago when she was just a little girl. She was rather surprised and angry that this guy was out there doing the same or worse.

[daybreakcoming]

Vigilantism is always wrong...no matter how good their intentions.

I say ROCK ON VIGILANTES in this case. The more vigilantes the better since too many parents are not paying attention. But each to his own opinion on this.

[rsobin]

I agree. The pervs need to be in jail and stay there until they die there. But i have serious mixed emotions with the methodology. They do not talk to minors online ,do not meet with minors. They may be talking to a 50 year old man when they think they are talking to a minor girl. Therefore, their crime is a thought crime only. Very Orwellian.

[Clifford The Big Red Dog]

Well, I happen to be Black, so I'm a little touchy when it comes to vigilantes......that's how the Klan started, you know......

[Mjaye]

It should make at least some pedophiles think twice and make some of the parents who seemed to be in denial to realize the dangers involved in the Internet.<<<<

Many of those arrested indicate that they've seen the show. Yet they walk right into the setup, and have already done this over and over. These guys simply don't change.

[fatnotlazy]

And I see it as doing something about a serious, growing problem. If the guy wasn't caught in the sting, he could very well pick up a real live 12 or 13 year old and do who knows what to him/her. I wish there was a better way, but it seems we either haven't found it, or it's out there, but people are unwilling or unable to implement it. Far too many parents are indifferent to the problem. And judges...well....don't get me started on some of them.