I have a teenage daughter who, like most, spends a crazy amount of time on social media. To think there are sexual predators out there trolling chat sites, hoping to lure her, or any of her friends, into a sick, exploitative relationship is somewhat terrifying.
I have faith in her judgement, and I know the chances of something really nasty happening are relatively small.
But I also know these guys can be cunning, and bad things do happen.
It’s also disturbing to learn how difficult it is to catch online perpetrators. I remember being shocked at how long it took to name a suspect in the Amanda Todd case. Although someone was eventually charged, it was only after the 15-year-old girl took her own life. And all those haters who piled on with their relentless cyber bullying never did see justice.
Point being, it’s understandable some people want to step in and do something. Enter: Calgary resident Dawson Raymond, who founded Creep Catchers in September, 2015. Just one year later, the organization has 23 chapters across Canada.
The group poses online as children to bait would-be predators, then sets up a sting, which members record and immediately post online in an effort to “name and shame.”
Now, Richmond has its own group called Creep Hunters, which has the same MO, but seems somewhat more restrained. It’s quicker to involve police and claims it only posts a sting with police permission — although, they have plenty of stings posted on their website.
While intentions may be good, there are too many problems with this kind of vigilantism. The first is public safety. Who knows how a person is going to react when they realize they’re being outted as a predator.
And then there’s the issue of mistaken identity. After one Creep Catcher sting was posted online, the “creep” was incorrectly named and an innocent man was vilified.
Finally, working outside the law like this could jeopardize an ongoing investigation into a much larger child pornography ring.
In the Richmond case, we have a man who vows to cut himself to prove his love for what he thinks is his new girlfriend. He suspects he’s being set up, yet meets her anyway. He “talks in circles,” begins crying when he’s confronted and calls his family. To parade this as some great victory in the fight against child exploitation is questionable.
These “hunters” say they can do things police can’t because they’re not subject to the same restrictions. True, but those restrictions are there for a reason. It’s called accountability. Vigilantes have no training, no oversight and are not privy to background information.
Finally, there’s just something creepy about public humiliation as a form of justice.
I say supply tips, and leave the rest to the professionals.
