# DATELINE: Has Catching Perverts Gone too far? \[ed. title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 24, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615 "2007-11-24T17:00:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/201 "2007-11-28T20:03:18Z")
[QUOTE=MaxTheVool] I’ve got a few questions about the online-luring process: (1) The place where the fake-teen and the maybe-predator meet in the first place… is this somewhere that normal adults would clearly never go? Ie, is it the “13-to-15-year-old-only chat room” as opposed to the “Britney Spears #1 fan web site”? (2) What happens if the FT and the MP start chatting and the MP is just a friendly guy who enjoys chatting but isn’t making any moves to advance the conversation towards either sex or meeting in person? Does this ever happen? Does perverted justice just have the FT say “hey, it was talking to you, kthxbye” or does the FT start pushing towards those topics? Because if the answers to those questions are “no” and “no”, respectively, I can easily imagining this catching men who would never have been a threat to anyone, but who were just lonely. This is particularly true if the FT is actually trying to be flirtatious and friendly and so forth. Some people are very very lonely, and suddenly having someone be interested in you out of the blue can be INCREDIBLY intoxicating. [/QUOTE] Here’s a portion of the chat log from the PJ site – I grabbed the very first one listed: > [@](#): > > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:32:20 PM): hello how u doing > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:33:59 PM): hi > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:34:29 PM): so what u up to tonight > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:34:59 PM): nothin much > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:35:04 PM): same here > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:35:10 PM): what ur age > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:35:15 PM): im 15 > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:35:17 PM): u? > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:35:26 PM): 23 > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:35:32 PM): where r u from in ga > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:35:45 PM): im kinda near columbus > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:35:47 PM): u? > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:35:59 PM): albany > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:36:05 PM): where is ur pic > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:36:14 PM): thers 1 in my prof > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:36:57 PM): u r cute > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:37:00 PM): ty > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:37:07 PM): do u have a b/f > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:37:15 PM): no not now > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:37:33 PM): hard to belive as cute as u r > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:37:42 PM): lol ty > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:38:07 PM): what do u do for fun > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:38:22 PM): i play guitar n swim > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:38:25 PM): u? > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:38:30 PM): oh ok nice > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:38:34 PM): i work out alot > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:38:45 PM): i am 6"1 200 brw eyes dark hair cute smile > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:38:56 PM): do u have a pic? > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:39:31 PM): not yet > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:39:38 PM): so u like older guys > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:39:55 PM): thers bad or nice guys all ages > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:40:32 PM): u ever date someone my ate > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:40:42 PM): not yet lol > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:41:10 PM): love to kiss u > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:41:25 PM): wow lol > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:41:35 PM): did i offend u > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:41:41 PM): no > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:41:56 PM): that was sweet > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:42:07 PM): now whats ur age again > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:42:17 PM): im 15 > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:42:32 PM): dont even kno ur name n u wanna kiss me lol > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:42:41 PM): i am marcus > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:42:43 PM): sorry > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:42:50 PM): hi marcus im erin > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:43:18 PM): nice to meet u sexy > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:43:38 PM): nice to meet u too > [color]swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:44:19 PM): r u a virigin[/color] > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:44:40 PM): yea lol y? > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:44:51 PM): mmmmmmmmmm ok > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:45:47 PM): u there > erin\_lynnb (07/15/06 9:45:59 PM): yea > swgamaleyess (07/15/06 9:46:20 PM): i bet lots of guys hit on u I have emphasized telling lines in red. The sequence is pretty clear. The decoy says nothing untoward. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/202 "2007-11-28T21:38:54Z")
That guy ought to be imprisoned for crimes against the English language, if nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/203 "2007-11-28T22:22:28Z")
[QUOTE=Bricker] Here’s a portion of the chat log from the PJ site – I grabbed the very first one listed: I have emphasized telling lines in red. The sequence is pretty clear. The decoy says nothing untoward. [/QUOTE] I should have said, “Here’s a portion of _A_ chat log…” Not to give the impression that this one relates to the Conradt case, which it does not. It’s merely an example to answer what **MaxTheVool** was wondering about. Based on other chat logs I have read at the site, this one is typical. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/204 "2007-11-29T00:14:02Z")
At this point I’d like to quote something G Wilder once said about the law “Men’s rea! How could this happen? I’m so careful! I always use condoms! I have men’s rea! My God!” ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/205 "2007-11-29T16:09:35Z")
(ETA: This is the post I typed up yesterday morning.) > [@Bricker](#): > > I don’t really care what your personal moral sense tells you. The claim at issue here is whether the police had probable cause to believe a crime had been committed. Then we have nothing to discuss, because my point is that these stings should not be happening in the first place, especially not at the hands of the entertainment industry. If you’re content to go through the legal ramifications with a fine-toothed comb, be my guest, but I’m pretty sure that’s not what was meant by “Has Catching Perverts Gone too far?”. > [@Bricker](#): > > It’s true that he didn’t solicit a minor, but rather an adult in the entertainment industry. I would argue that the adult in the entertainment industry most likely solicited _him_, which AIUI is no longer a crime in Texas. > [@Bricker](#): > > But you can claim to know it well enough to make a confident statement, replete with an air of authority, that the man had not committed any crime in this instance. Perhaps you meant that he hadn’t committed any crime under your personal moral code? I was speaking from my general understanding of the law as it applies to these kinds of things. IANAL and I’ve made it a goal to spend as little time in Texas as possible, not to mention that I’ve never solicited a minor _or_ anyone in the entertainment industry, so I don’t think I can be reasonably expected to whip out the fine points of recently-codified Texas law on command in any debate. I also don’t have the patience or the legal understanding to comb through the laws of any given jurisdiction to make sure I’m saying exactly the right thing every time I mouth off in a debate on the SDMB. This may come as a surprise to you, but not everybody is a lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![FarmerChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@FarmerChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FarmerChick)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/206 "2007-11-29T17:29:44Z")
[QUOTE=Hostile Dialect] … my point is that these stings should not be happening in the first place, especially not at the hands of the entertainment industry. If you’re content to go through the legal ramifications with a fine-toothed comb, be my guest, but I’m pretty sure that’s not what was meant by “Has Catching Perverts Gone too far?”… [/QUOTE] That was the OP question, and the reason I posted the link to the Equire article in the first place. It wasn’t to get into a legal debate, it was to state that in my opinion, YES, “To Catch a Predator” has gone too far and this is MY reason why. Again, destroying peoples lives for “entertainment” went out with the fall of the Roman Empire didn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/207 "2007-11-29T17:47:59Z")
[QUOTE=FarmerChick] Again, destroying peoples lives for “entertainment” went out with the fall of the Roman Empire didn’t it? [/QUOTE] Have you seen any broadcast TV lately? I got roped into watching that Tila Tequila show yesterday, and it made me _really_ uncomfortable. Apparently it’s an elimination dating type thing, and at this point two guys and two girls are left in the running. OK, that’s great, very progressive, etc. But when Tila and one of the boys went to meet his family in upstate NY, she was obviously told to cause a shitstorm. I don’t know if the “family’s” responses were scripted or not, but the entire extended family was there, and while everyone was standing around in the kitchen Tila basically threw in “Hey guys, I’m bisexual” out of left field. The family appeared to be doing what it could to keep its composure until dinner, when she “accidentally” got whipped cream on what clothing was covering her right boob and tried to get her “date’s” brother to clean it off for her. Date’s Mom got up and walked out, and later they showed footage of Tila leveling with her, and then Date’s Mom thinks she’s just the sweetest thing since apple pie. There wasn’t any destroying of lives, per se, but humiliation was definitely served on everyone but Tila for the purpose of entertainment. I really felt like an old fogey watching it. Am I in the wrong here? Cause I sure feel like an outcast for not being able to get over how uncomfortable it makes me. ---
**Author:** ![FarmerChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@FarmerChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FarmerChick)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/208 "2007-11-29T17:58:57Z")
I live on a farm in rural Alberta. I decided to spend my “entertainment” dollars on satellite internet instead on TV. Best decision ever! Unfortunately, on late night TV I have caught that piece of crap you are talking about. I watched it for about 5 minutes. I refuse to pollute my brain with such shit. I buy a lot of DVD’s instead… end of hijack 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/209 "2007-11-29T19:50:10Z")
[QUOTE=River Hister] Why the hell are they doing it with 14 year olds? There are plenty of sick fuckers who’ll go looking for pre pubescent children. Believe me they’re thousands of times worse. [/QUOTE] this is a great point- a better more rewarding sting would be an adult trying to sell their three year old, and then catching the assholes who show up. 14-15 is wrong, but its grey area if the perp is 18-20- Traci Lords was doing porn at 15- no excuse for a teen, but _really_ no excuse for a three year old. And who are these perps fooling- some hot 14 year old really is dying to have sex with a fat balding 50 year old? On what planet? ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/210 "2007-11-29T20:12:13Z")
wrong thread ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/211 "2007-11-29T20:23:45Z")
[QUOTE=Hostile Dialect] There wasn’t any destroying of lives, per se, but humiliation was definitely served on everyone but Tila for the purpose of entertainment. I really felt like an old fogey watching it. Am I in the wrong here? Cause I sure feel like an outcast for not being able to get over how uncomfortable it makes me. [/QUOTE] Yeah, I felt that way when I read about some of the “Borat” scenes. Yeah, I get it, Americans are stupid and unenlightened, but it just feels so exploitative. You’re not doing this to expose racists/pedophiles/bigots–you’re just doing it for ratings. Well, okay, clearly Tila Tequila is only doing it for ratings, but so is “To Catch a Predator”–only they mask it with the whole “for the children” thing, which makes it even more cringeworthy. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/212 "2007-11-29T20:50:13Z")
[QUOTE=Hostile Dialect] There wasn’t any destroying of lives, per se, but humiliation was definitely served on everyone but Tila for the purpose of entertainment. I really felt like an old fogey watching it. Am I in the wrong here? Cause I sure feel like an outcast for not being able to get over how uncomfortable it makes me. [/QUOTE] I’m with you in principle, but at the same time i wonder why anyone would agree to let a camera crew from one of these “reality” shows into their dining room in the first place. Surely anyone who hasn’t been living on a desert island knows that sensationalism and rating are all these people are interested in. If you’re willing to open your home to them, you shouldn’t be surprised when they do precisely what they always do. As for the whole Dateline pedophile sting operations, i think that there’s nothing wrong with the cops conducting sting operations to track down child molestors, as long as they don’t step over the line into entrapment. But there’s just no need for them to do this is conjunction and cooperation with profit-seeking, sensation-seeking TV programs. I’ll give Chris Hansen credit for one thing, though. He’s one of the few people who can appear on screen with a child sexual predator and appear more offensive than the pedophile. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/213 "2007-11-29T21:04:24Z")
[quote=Wee Bairn] this is a great point- a better more rewarding sting would be an adult trying to sell their three year old, and then catching the assholes who show up. 14-15 is wrong, but its grey area if the perp is 18-20- Traci Lords was doing porn at 15- no excuse for a teen, but _really_ no excuse for a three year old. /quote] The problem is that there aren’t nearly enough of those guys to find one _every single week_ for several years, and the fact that _those_ asshats were only getting 30-60 days in the slammer, tops, would enrage the audience. (The Dateline guys have clearly shown no ability to build a decent case, even with the help of actual attorneys who probably want very badly to lock the so-called “predators” up.) In essence, what you’d have is the entire into-three-year-olds community suddenly realizing that they can suffer no real consequences from finding three-year-olds to rape on the Internet. And a show without the ratings and the publicity. > [@Wee Bairn](#): > > And who are these perps fooling- some hot 14 year old really is dying to have sex with a fat balding 50 year old? On what planet? Enough fat balding 50-year-olds believe it, apparently–_or_ the logs on the Dateline website are bullshit and they’re really, really trying hard to pull the 50-year-olds in. Either way, boggles the mind. > [@Zoggie](#): > > Yeah, I felt that way when I read about some of the “Borat” scenes. Yeah, I get it, Americans are stupid and unenlightened, but it just feels so exploitative. You’re not doing this to expose racists/pedophiles/bigots–you’re just doing it for ratings. Well, okay, clearly Tila Tequila is only doing it for ratings, but so is “To Catch a Predator”–only they mask it with the whole “for the children” thing, which makes it even more cringeworthy. Agreed. (Although Borat was, for the most part, genuinely funny; it didn’t rely completely on gross-out humor or humiliation humor, like a lot of other “comedies” do. It had a legitimate and funny (if overdone) storyline, and the main characters were portrayed as being just as ignorant of American culture as the WASPy Americans were of other cultures than their own. Don’t get me wrong, there were scenes that went too far. But as a whole, it had some worth.) ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/214 "2007-11-29T21:15:14Z")
Any chance a mod can change the title of this thread? Everytime I look at it, I think that my favorite PBS documentary program is tackling the tactics of Chris “Smarm Master” Hanson and company. ---
**Author:** ![priapus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@priapus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priapus)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/215 "2007-11-29T21:45:09Z")
The problems I have with the program is its an operation run by volunteers with ,as far as I can tell, no formal training.WikI points out that entire cases were thrown out because they were so weak,not to mention the “kids” sometimes initiated the sexual overtures. The biggest problem I have,however,is the program and volunteers are not held accountable for the crassness of destroying people for ratings.All the program does is force disturbed men deeper into the shadows ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/216 "2007-11-30T03:21:17Z")
[QUOTE=Hostile DialectI would argue that the adult in the entertainment industry most likely solicited _him_, which AIUI is no longer a crime in Texas. [/quote] Based on what evidence, precisely. If you review the hundreds of logs posted on the PJ site, you will see that they follow a very clear protocol with respect to solicitation and overtures – in every case, the would-be molestor makes the first overtures and solicitations. What is your reason for believing this went any differently? > [@](#): > > I was speaking from my general understanding of the law as it applies to these kinds of things. IANAL and I’ve made it a goal to spend as little time in Texas as possible, not to mention that I’ve never solicited a minor _or_ anyone in the entertainment industry, so I don’t think I can be reasonably expected to whip out the fine points of recently-codified Texas law on command in any debate. I also don’t have the patience or the legal understanding to comb through the laws of any given jurisdiction to make sure I’m saying exactly the right thing every time I mouth off in a debate on the SDMB. This may come as a surprise to you, but not everybody is a lawyer. No surprise at all. What DOES come as a surprise to me is someone willing to mouth off, as you quite candidly admit you did, and make sweeping, confident and definitive declarations of what the law is, and then whine when called on your inaccuracies that you’re not a lawyer. You offered a legal conslusion in support of your thesis, and that conclusion was wrong. An intellectually honest person would simply concede they were in error. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/217 "2007-11-30T03:26:33Z")
[QUOTE=priapus] WikI points out that entire cases were thrown out because they were so weak,not to mention the “kids” sometimes initiated the sexual overtures. [/QUOTE] Cite for the proposition that the “kids” initiated the sexual overtures? ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/218 "2007-11-30T04:13:07Z")
[QUOTE=priapus] The problems I have with the program is its an operation run by volunteers with ,as far as I can tell, no formal training.WikI points out that entire cases were thrown out because they were so weak,not to mention the “kids” sometimes initiated the sexual overtures. [/quote] Most of the weak or inappropriately handled cases are weeded out before they ever get any investigative resources thrown at them. Generally speaking it goes as follows. Bait volunteer is propositioned Bait volunteer attempts to aquire as much info as possible. Bait volunteer forwards chat logs to PJ oversight/management team If they did something royally stupid, it dies there, no calls to the police, no threats or hate mail, game over, bait player fucked up so lets not make a scene and maybe we can get him again later. If it looks solid, PJ management passes logs to followup teams. Followup does as much as possible to harvest as much information as possible about the suspect as they can. Find employers, relatives, etc. Once followup has nitpicked this persons life apart, it goes back to PJ for arranging an in person meet/live bait scenario like you see on TV. > [@](#): > > The biggest problem I have,however,is the program and volunteers are not held accountable for the crassness of destroying people for ratings.All the program does is force disturbed men deeper into the shadows The guys on TV have already been reviewed by law enforcement, if the evidence was too shaky for a decent chance of a conviction you don’t see it on TV. Only a handful of those cases have not resulted in convictions of some kind at trial. Conviction returned, nobodys life was destroyed for ratings, it was destroyed by doing something they knew was illegal, and went out of their way to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Anchuldigs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anchuldigs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anchuldigs)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/219 "2007-11-30T04:28:43Z")
See South Park episode titled “La Petite Tourrete” for a side-splitting spoof of Dateline. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615/220 "2007-11-30T04:51:29Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > If you review the hundreds of logs posted on the PJ site, you will see that they follow a very clear protocol with respect to solicitation and overtures – in every case, the would-be molestor makes the first overtures and solicitations. > > What is your reason for believing this went any differently? Because I don’t trust Perverted Justice any farther than I can throw it. You might get me to read one of those logs if you could prove to my satisfaction that it was presented in exactly the same way, word-for-word, under oath. Even then, I would be skeptical. > [@Bricker](#): > > What DOES come as a surprise to me is someone willing to mouth off, as you quite candidly admit you did, and make sweeping, confident and definitive declarations of what the law is, and then whine when called on your inaccuracies that you’re not a lawyer. You offered a legal conslusion in support of your thesis, and that conclusion was wrong. An intellectually honest person would simply concede they were in error. In case I haven’t been clear about it: I was wrong about Texas law and I’m sorry. Thanks for that little dig at my intellectual honesty, BTW. I didn’t think personal insults were acceptable in this forum, but I could be wrong about that too. FTR, the reason I didn’t “simply concede” I was in error is because I didn’t believe I was–to me, my statement “he didn’t commit a crime” was more literal than legal, at least in the (non-legal!) sense that crimes against minors are defined as specific actions which cause undue harm to children. I understand that that definition wouldn’t hold up in court, but I don’t expect it to, and when I said “crime” I didn’t mean “a violation of any law”, which is how you read it. (Of course, since you _are_ a lawyer, you would/should read it like that; after all, if you hadn’t done that and cited the relevant Texas law, I would be a little more ignorant about it today.) For example, some obscure law or judicial precedent could have determined at some point in time that holding a knife in a balled fist belies criminal intent and is therefore illegal, but if someone were throw in jail for holding a knife in a balled fist and then regaining control of himself and dropping the knife without hurting or specifically threatening anyone, and I said “he didn’t commit a crime”, I would not be referring to those specific statutes. Just like if I said of an 18-year-old boy and his 16-year-old girlfriend, “he didn’t rape her”, I wouldn’t mean that he didn’t do anything that could legally be construed as rape by statute, I would mean that he didn’t violate her by using physical and/or emotional force to have sex with her without her consent. The whole reason I’m typing all of this out is that I believe that law enforcement can, should and _does_ use discretion to determine who to arrest, why and when. For example, a coke user’s cooperation with the police might hypothetically stop a murder, in which case I think it would be reasonable for the police to decide not to arrest him on possession charges. From a theoretical standpoint, the idea of a police force that did every single thing by the book would be nice in a lot of ways, but the fact is that corners get cut when more important things need to get done. To further clarify, I am not saying that the Texas county in question was _legally_ wrong to arrest the guy, and I officially retract all allusions to the contrary, including “he didn’t commit a crime”. But I stand by the point I’ve put forward for the entire thread: this TV show is pure evil, and any branch of law enforcement that participates in it is not exempt from the moral ramifications in my mind. Of course, that and $1.50 will buy you a cup of coffee, but nothing happens in a vacuum and specific legality is not all there is to this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dateline-has-catching-perverts-gone-too-far-ed-title/427615.md?page=12)