Ever wonder the truth about Florida's internet sex stings?

Could it be that Florida has such a problem with "pedos" as they are saying? It is quite odd that Florida seems to be the only state performing these stings like mad and eating up your taxpayer dollars in the process. The fact is that the men arrested are not actively seeking an encounter with anyone under the legal age of 18, but they are being lured by law enforcement placed suggestive ads in online publications such as Craigslist and using sex as the bait. Often they will advertise a legal age like a mother or a stepmother then lure the men into a sexual conversation after introducing a minor into the situation. When they make these arrests, law enforcement is lying to the public how they catch these men. Of course nobody likes the idea of a possible "pedo" lurking in their neighborhood, so "hooray" for the cops for cleaning up the streets why the real criminals are still at large. These stings are being performed for NO REASON AT ALL and using federal grant money for nothing more than to coordinate between agencies.....this is called random virtue testing, AKA, entrapment....they are creating crime and criminals and using public support to bolster their campaign for continued funding. Just like there are dirty cops, there are dirty cop operations. This is big government at its worst! Ever wonder what happened to Operation Blue Shepherd? It so seems that WEAR3's and ECSD accounts of the incident have disappeared. FOX10 still has online accounts of the incident. The operation lasted just less than 7 days. After 4 days, 0 arrests...after 5 days, 2 arrests....the remaining 23 arrests came in less than 2 days. It seems that law enforcement changed their tactics to do whatever it took to make arrests and justify a successful operation and then wanted to wash their hands of it. It might sound shocking, but its true! Well over a million dollars was used in 14 stings. Way to go Florida! If you want to know more, please visit www.floridascandal.blogspot.com

My virus protection just blocked a threat from this site.Hmmm?

from the complete pensacoladiscussionforum? or just this post?

talknstang wrote:from the complete pensacoladiscussionforum? or just this post?

When I clicked on your link I got a message that a virus was blocked.

well isnt that some shady crap, lol perhaps somebody doesnt want people to know the truth. But its too late for that anyway....there have been members of law enforcement speaking out against they way they are conducting these stings.....it just hasnt been publicized yet. There are so many other details about these things that should startle peoples perception about what is happening for sure, so thats why i wanted to start this discussion to see if anyone wanted to voice their opinions. It is a free country, but if what you say is true, somebody doesnt want this info to spread, lol

Dreamsglore wrote:

talknstang wrote:from the complete pensacoladiscussionforum? or just this post?

When I clicked on your link I got a message that a virus was blocked.

Dreams are you talking about this link, www.floridascandal.blogspot.com?

My antivirus also blocked it.

oh, so its from the blog? gotcha. It wouldnt surprise me if somebody from law enforcement is trying to attack that site, lol. But i am glad you pointed that out for sure

yes it is, and its tough to change public perception, but the facts are the facts and not the lies that are being told by law enforcement. And then we have the funding issue which ive barely scratched the surface of yet, lol. The state of Florida and its government are turning a blind eye to this, but eventually it is going to blow up in their faces. Isnt it quite odd that Miami-Dade, the most populous county in the state, have had no such sting operations? Do they not have the same problem with these "pedos"?. I just have a criminology degree, so studying this problem has been very interesting. What has happened is that a certain rogue Sheriff, (not saying any names, its not hard to figure out) has networked their plan using the Florida Sheriffs Association to "sell" their template of these sting operations to other Sheriff's throughout the state. Some counties apparently buy on to the idea, but some seem to see the issues that are happening. There is proof that they are doing them for no reason all over the place. Also, isnt it odd that they say they catch people from "all walks of life" etc, etc. Well duh, when you place a random ad into the general population, that is what you get. Teachers, Principals, Lawyers, even people who work or have worked in law enforcement. If a teacher was wanting to prey upon children, one would think that his or her victim would be not too distant as opposed to some child placing an ad in the adult section of Craigslist. After these stings are exposed, they quietly are swept under the rug without any further mention of them. The only exception would be the Tally-op sting. A very controversial one at that with those men being made out to be wolves before and during the trial phase. They are hanging these guys out to dry and the media reports the disposition of every single guy arrested. The amount of bias/prejudice with the cases is obnoxious and creates an unfair disadvantage for any defense. One thing i dont remember for sure is having a class on how corrupt the judicial system can be. Perhaps this needs to be added to the curriculum of those pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice, lol
And the numbers dont lie....there has been a 74% increase in the number of sex offenders in the state of Florida the past 5 or so years as opposed to 23% for the rest of the country. Creating criminals and inventing crime is the cause for this. The lies must stop....this is America damnit.

now dont misunderstand my viewpoint, i am not trying to defend pedophiles one bit. As a friend of mine said, "i'm all about sticking a needle in an honest to god pedophile", but when you look at the data/information, these men were not predisposed to commit this type of crime anyway. Very, very few of them are found with child porn on their computers. Does the arrest of one true pedo justify having to arrest innocent men in the process and then prosecuting them as well? This is what is happening!

Thank you for your input. I was a vocal critic in the PNJ on the frequent sting operations which a tactical team from Santa Rosa County would release about once a year. There tactics were questionable, and the bigger concern was that our criminal justice system has grown by 500% in the last 20 plus years, and with the private prison industry...........well we have created a monster which at times seems prepared to unleash on the very public it is sworn to serve and protect.

There will always be a very dangerous and predatory risk to children from certain individuals. I also have a very close friend who evaluates these folks for the courts, and sadly their attractions do not dissipate after being jailed. However, when we take taxpayer dollars and entrap folks who are neither dangerous or a threat to anyone by using tactics which appeal to their purient interests rather than true dangerous pedophile tendencies, well we create criminals, waste resources, and the worst part of all......do not put our energy into those individuals who always find their way out of prison and are still dangerous. I appreciate this thread.

well that is a more than fair analysis for sure and this issue needs to be addressed with the truth being exposed. And with the current financial crisis gridlock, what an opportune time to show how our taxpayer dollars are being put to ill use. Not only are these stings flawed, but there are so many ethical/immoral issues as well We live in a sad society when rogue law enforcement agencies scour the state to perform these stings and then lie about it. That might sound harsh, but its the truth....what is harsh is what is happening to these guys who never went online with the intent to meet any minor in the first place. Their lives are done, and when they get out of prison, the hardships that they will endure will in itself create even more of a problem for society. These stings are funded by grants from the Dept. of Justice. Do you think the trial court judge, who is an elected official, is going to give these guys a fair shake? of course not.......and its a HUGE problem. We need to keep our children safe, yes, but not in this most unjust of ways. Its appalling

Not all of their stings have gone without capturing dangerous individuals. They have got some of the bad guys. However, their entrapment methods lead to literally hundreds of people falsely being accused of something they really did not intend to do. In some of the stings a couple of years ago they start the sting with the allure of a legally aged alleged woman, who after attracting dopes and mopes....they change the discussion to her underage sister who wants sex......this is morally despicable, and legally it raise a stain on the entire operation.....even if a few bad guys are caught......this is not the due process promised in our constitution........their are real abuses in my opinion in some of these operations.....and when one is critical......they can only point to that handful of bad people who really need to be in jail.....they say nothing about the entrapment and wide net which turns dopes and mopes into criminals........it takes courage for a person to stand up against these abuses.....here we are ghosts.....it takes no courage to talk about this being wrong.......but judges....law enforcement officers.....they risk their career to do the right thing......hopefully, more and more will expose these abuses.

it is nice to know there are others out there that see the cycle of abuse that is occurring. It takes more than the voice of one for change unfortunately. My research has culminated in a presentation that i have created on "The Truths and Realities about Florida's Sex Sting Operations". I will be posting it online soon..i just have to figure out how i am wanting to do it. The presentation takes a different approach to these illegal stings without getting into all the complex legal issues and case law, etc. It also has documents that support the argument that they are performing them for no reason at all. There is almost no disputing what the facts are. There are a handful of us within Florida and other states that have been working together to try and make a difference and we are contemplating starting F-CAPE (Florida Citizens Against Police Entrapment) Sitting back and just waiting for the problem to resolve itself is unacceptable as far as i am concerned so i am compelled to fight for what i believe in. As i said before, this is America goddamit, the land of the free. And because of one or two particular Sheriffs in Florida who "see monsters", men are being stripped of their freedoms. There are even instances of men not even showing up at the sting house, yet law enforcment will seek them out at their homes or place of business to make the arrest. Where is the intent in these cases? There isnt any and it is completely fabricated. I hope this topic gets heated.....thanks again for your thoughts.

i too had written an article that was published in the PNJ and the Tallahassee Democrats "Opinion" section last year on this subject. Unfortunately i was limited to so many words and some of the information was left out, but i think i made my point. I did get some negative criticism, which is nothing that caught me by surprise....but what is surprising is when people who have open minds hear the story....the looks on their face are pricesless, lol. The horror stories i have read and heard from people who i have talked to are so upsetting. Its sad that this information isnt getting out to the people. It is their right to know the truth because they will continue to do these stings unless something is done about them. So far, there have been 3 this year and they are on pace to exceed last years 14 that netted over 346 arrests. We only hope that some of the funding has or will be discontinued....only time will tell, but the ultimate goal is to have the Governator put a halt to them and investigate into police misconduct.

I say that more good comes from these stings than not. If they nab just one pedophile then it is all worth it.

PPD just nabbed a guy from Ft Walton Beach last night that thought he was coming to Pensacola for a sexual tryst with a 13 year girl. I say job well done.

If they nab just one pedophile then it is all worth it.


That is what they are selling....and a lot of people are buying that.....but it is wrong. The vast majority of the sicko population is not getting on the internet. They are victimizing people they know. They get jobs which allow them to be near children. Now the sad reality.......the folks who are known to be dangerous are not getting the monitoring they need. Lack of funds. Probation and Parole resources are at their limit......yet a sting which entraps a bunch of horny youth with a girl who is looking for sex, and then after engaging the dopes and mopes in sex talk, tells them she has a 5 year old sister who wants to lose her virginity. 90% of the folks who are responding to these stings are just stupid. A real predator has an unnatural attraction to very young children. This is not normal. My friend has to attach a device to convicted child molesters and shows them a series of photos to see what content causes arousal. The very sick individuals have no control over their sexual response to very young children. Yet, after they serve their sentence........he sees these dangerous individuals back in the community. They are way too smart for internet contact.....that is not how they got arrested the first time.....and it is not how they get arrested the second time. They befriend children and are opportunist.

The internet sting is more about show than go.......and that is the problem. The resources wasted on getting your 1 alleged perp, allows many more dangerous people to go unmonitored in a very broken system post conviction and release from prison. It is really time to get smart.....this is not about protecting the monsters, rather it is not allowing America to get used to arresting and convicting 40 innocent people to get 10 guilty people.......these sting operations should meet stringent national standards, and there funds should be allocated by the degree of risk......funds need to be increased on released dangerous people.

So you're ok with being arrested at random along with say 49 other people as long as one of those other 49 people is a pedophile? Are you ok with roaming patrols of jack booted thugs searching homes at random too?

aladdin4d wrote:So you're ok with being arrested at random along with say 49 other people as long as one of those other 49 people is a pedophile? Are you ok with roaming patrols of jack booted thugs searching homes at random too?

We are talking about sting operations and not jack booted police. Why would a sting operation lure innocent people. A sting operation is not even going to catch the attention of someone that is not doing anything wrong. So yes if you want to put it that way, then I am very much in favor of it.

well we are all entitled to our opinion, but those are not the principles our country was founded upon for sure. The founding fathers would be rolling over in their graves if they thought that were the case. As Blackstone once said, "it is better to let 10 guilty persons escape than let one innocent person suffer". In many cases, our system of justice has veered off course and rules more using public perception versus the letter of the law and this is definitely one of those instances.

2seaoat wrote:

.......these sting operations should meet stringent national standards, and there funds should be allocated by the degree of risk......funds need to be increased on released dangerous people.

Actually there is a stringent national standard that all agencies involved in investigating Internet Crimes Against Children are supposed to follow. Most Florida law enforcement agencies blatantly ignore them. They then turn around and proclaim to the world that they are following the standards to justify continued federal funding.

For anybody curious do a Google search for the following quotes and all:

"ICAC Operational and Investigative Standards"

Ghost_Rider....going on Craigslist and browsing the adult section is not illegal. Prostitution is illegal. Whether thats the choice of men looking to find a chance encounter, well thats their own prerogative Wanting to meet someone on a social networking site is not! I guess we should rid Craigslist altogether since it seems to be an issue with just more than this topic in recent years. It clearly states in Craigslists terms of use that you must be at least 18yrs of age to post and not post anything harmful to minors. The men are unsuspecting of this and are suckered.....not only that, any photographs that are sent by law enforcement are that of a fully mature woman thus adding to the confusion. They are not allowed to send photos of any minor. The level of deception coupled with the fact that there is no reason to perform these things in the first place certainly makes them suspect.

I had written repeatedly against these stings based on reported sloppy protocols. I was called a bleeding heart and protector of perverts. I finally had enough when the most recent sting involved advertising an adult wanting sex and after getting into conversations with a bunch of horney men, she starts talking about her 15 year old sister wanting to lose her virginity.......this is so wrong on so many levels...........this is not protecting the public. The real dangers go without assets being applied, and some dumb horny 18 year old gets thrown to the ground in a sting driveway by 6 law enforcement folks who act like they have just stopped a mass shooting and the person in the driveway is going to pull out an automatic weapon.......it is a sad commentary on how far these things have gone.....and how many innocent people's lives can be ruined before folks understand how the constitution in this country works.

2seaoat wrote:I had written repeatedly against these stings based on reported sloppy protocols. I was called a bleeding heart and protector of perverts. I finally had enough when the most recent sting involved advertising an adult wanting sex and after getting into conversations with a bunch of horney men, she starts talking about her 15 year old sister wanting to lose her virginity.......this is so wrong on so many levels...........this is not protecting the public. The real dangers go without assets being applied, and some dumb horny 18 year old gets thrown to the ground in a sting driveway by 6 law enforcement folks who act like they have just stopped a mass shooting and the person in the driveway is going to pull out an automatic weapon.......it is a sad commentary on how far these things have gone.....and how many innocent people's lives can be ruined before folks understand how the constitution in this country works.

Obviously the constitution is not working since you say these stings are illegal.

Ghost_Rider1 wrote:

We are talking about sting operations and not jack booted police. Why would a sting operation lure innocent people. A sting operation is not even going to catch the attention of someone that is not doing anything wrong. So yes if you want to put it that way, then I am very much in favor of it.

A sting operation will always lure innocent people when it's specifically designed to do exactly that. If a sting operation was attention getting then it wouldn't catch anybody at all.

These stings aren't designed like a drug sting that has to be carefully tailored to a specific purpose. In a drug sting police are allowed to put out an undercover officer to act like a drug dealer in a neighborhood with known drug trafficking. The officer waits to be approached and if someone comes up to him asking to buy drugs then an arrest can be made. What the officer cannot do is accost every passerby asking "Hey you wanna buy some drugs?" hoping somebody will take the bait and say yes and then arrest that person.

In these sex stings police go above and beyond and place ads basically saying "Hey wanna hook up with an adult?" on adult sites hoping someone will take the bait. This is even worse than the above because the police aren't even bothering to advertise anything illegal. When somebody shows interest in the adult, then and only then is anything to do with a child introduced. At that point it's too late for the defendant, he will be arrested no matter what he does after that.

This is the internet equivalent of jack booted thugs breaking into homes at random and what I think frightens me the most is that you're ok with living in a police state where the truly dangerous child predators continue to roam free.