Is Dateline NBC to catch a predator series working?

Question

So I am watching the Dateline NBC special to catch a predator and I am thinking to myslef. This is probably the 3rd installation I have seen in a short time. Sure this will catch a few paedophiles in a few localized locations,but is this over exposure going to ultimately hurt in catching paedophiles overall? It seems to me that as people become more aware of this that many criminals and minors looking to elicit sex will just alter their tactics and be more deceptive and harder to catch? So what do you think, is it ultimately good or bad?

Answer 1

They're probably going to keep having more Dateline shows based on this. At least they are catching some people. There are a lot of dumb people who don't learn and they will continue to get caught. I will bet you that they will have many more installments to come.

Answer 2

A better question might be, is this even legal? And, what would happen if an underage person showed-up? Say a boy pretending to be 35, but really fifteen, shows up to meet a girl that is really 21? Just curious.

I don't think the show is meant to stop pedophilia, or even contain it in a given area. Rather, I think the purpose is to highlight how easy it is to get people to show up for something like this. The men obviously see this as a mating opportunity, but something more--the realization of a fantasy.

Doesn't really make sense for a lot of reasons, so I am inclined to think the spectacle is the true purpose. In a word: ratings.

Answer 3

No. It's helping. Certain civil rights groups have taken up to protect the group NAMBLA and they seem to have enough power to keep preying on children. Law enforcement is basically doing catch up but it won't slow down because predators have an internal "need" for what they do and that supercedes being smart and sneaky.

Answer 4

That crap is fake, most of them anyway, some of the cases are real, but most of it is set up and fake.

Think about it, the only thing they could bust any of the guys on is solicitation, and even then, no matter how much evidence they had from an instant message, there is no real way to prove that it was that guy on the computer, talking the entire time to someone... I've worked in places where i've left my messenger window open, and co-workers got on there and talked with my girlfriend and whatnot, pretending it was me.

None of those things would hold water in court, if someone just kept denying it. And even if they said they did it, it's just solicitation, they stop anything from happening most of the time before any crime outside of solicitation has been committed.

I think that it is a good idea to help scare people away from doing such acts, but come on, it is not real... As for REAL preditors, it doesn't help, because they will just move on to other means of finding prey, but there is nothing we can do about that either way...

BUT, for the drunk college kids that are 24 and 25 years old, going online trying to get laid, the show will definatly make them think twice.

I just find it really weird that noone ever shows up that lied about their age too, I mean, there are just as many guys who lie about their age on there as predators, probably more guys that lie about their age than predators. And how come you never see any lesbian women on there picking up young teens?? Plenty of females that are 21 and 22 would be on there trying to pick up 15 and 16 year old girls, probably just as many as guys. It's all crap, and fake.

P.S. They should probably investigate the individual who came up with the idea of that show, he is probably a predator, and found a way to capitalize on it.

Answer 5

Good.
It's always worth a try to try to stop a pedophile.
ALWAYS.
If you were a parent, I doubt you would even be asking this question.
If there is ever a chance to stop even one occurrence of pedophilia then it is worth it.
NBC has obviously stopped many predators in their tracks.
DUH !!

Answer 6

I think its entrapment.

Answer 7

I think it is, I love it