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There was an article in The Houston Chronicle today about how sting set-ups like that end up doing more harm than good.

Quote:

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How about the guy that tried to kill himself with the pen?

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Yikes, that guy. But I like how he tried to do it twice, and both times the announcer called it out as a "half-hearted attempt."

I wish you'd have asked me then, b/c now I can't remember....

I'm gonna see if I can find the article...

ETA: Basically, they're saying that Datleine is making it too "popular" and that it encourages vigalantes....

Civilians online luring potential child predators / Law officials say the amateur stings are dangerous

By KEN MAGUIRE
Associated Press

BOSTON - This was Stacey DeLuca's plan: Chat online with child predators while pretending to be a young girl. Just a few hours.

"I'd rather have them talk to me than a real 13-year-old," the 21-year-old said.

It didn't take long before a 50-year-old California man allegedly told DeLuca - who was posing as 13-year-old from Massachusetts - that he likes "younger girls" and that she wouldn't be his first.

DeLuca called police, and stayed in character for a month, saving transcripts of the man's lurid comments and graphic photos from the Yahoo Inc. chat room.

The result: Lawrence I. Katz of Oceanside, in San Diego County, was charged with attempting to send harmful matter to a minor via electronic means.

Katz, a casino dealer, did not respond to calls seeking comment. His lawyer, Ivan Schwartz, declined to comment. Katz is free on bail, and a status hearing is scheduled Friday.

"I was totally surprised," said DeLuca, who works in the promotions department of a local radio station in Worcester, Mass. "You get in a chat room and you get tons and tons of instant messages. These guys wait to talk to some little girl."

DeLuca is among a growing number of civilians across the nation who are conducting online stings to catch potential child predators.

Perverted Justice, an organization that's dedicated to outing online predators, expects to double its volunteer corps, to 100, by year's end.

Critics say it borders on vigilantism. Criminal defense attorneys argue that it amounts to entrapment and that the nature of the charges - rather than the weight of evidence - forces people to plead guilty to avoid publicity.

Law enforcement officials warn that sloppy civilian investigations will push predators further underground, and that civilians may be endangering their own safety.

"In criminal justice matters, control is key," said Gerry Leone, a former state and federal prosecutor in Massachusetts.

NBC's "Dateline" has helped popularize the practice by teaming with Perverted Justice to lure adult men to a "meet." The men expect to find a young sex partner, but are instead met by TV cameras, and more recently, by police officers as well.

DeLuca rejects the notion that she's taking the law into her own hands.

"I'm just sitting in a chat room. They're the ones contacting me. I'm not starting any of the sex talk," she said.