Some call them vigilantes and some call them good samaritans, they are a Facebook group set on exposing online child predators in Northern Michigan.
The group is called “989 Child Predator Exposures,” and they are just a local chapter of a movement gaining steam, where civilians pose as underage targets for predators online, then expose their identities when they meet in person.
“It’s a good thing, if used properly,” says Mt. Pleasant Police Officer Dave VanDyke, “but it can also be used in a bad way and potentially ruin peoples’ lives.”
You may have seen these videos online, exposing the potential sexual predator identities and intentions with Facebook Live videos.
“I commend the idea of what they want to do but the process is in place for a reason,” says VanDyke.
These groups working without police help, taking matters into their own hands.
“I guess I’m kind of on the fence,” says grandmother of two, Tammi VanMorter, “I do like that the parents are involved enough to start something like this but I’m a little nervous too.”
“It’s good in the aspect that they are catching these people,” says mother of two, Gina Silvestei, “but if they are causing a problem with police investigations, that may not be good but I definitely want these people off the internet and off the streets.”
While these confrontations are applauded online and seem to be effective, police say there is too much that can go wrong for civilians to be doing this. These targets could be dangerous and, while the videos may be compelling, they are probably not enough to bring charges.
“You could have police officers that are investigating this individual and building evidence,” says VanDyke, “Building everything that they need to get a conviction and a group comes in thinking they are doing the right thing and it completely puts that investigation off the rails.”
Police say the best option is to work together with each side doing what they do best.
“We would love for somebody to keep track of these conversations,” says VanDyke, “Print them out in a hard copy and bring them to us and give us that piece of the puzzle.”
This group has not lead to any arrests in any other confrontations but there are groups just like this all across the country and who have have worked with police and they have gotten arrests.
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