Miss America Helps Cops in Sex Sting - Celebrity Cybervigilante?
Dr. Kardasz:
It is very troubling to see that another publicity-hungry law enforcement agency has used a private citizen, in this case Miss America, to conduct police operations. Who will be the next celebrity cybervigilante, Michael Jackson perhaps?
For more information about the use of private citizens for undercover law enforcement work see: http://www.kardasz.org/Cybervigilantes.html
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Miss America Helps Cops in Sex Sting
AP OnlineWednesday, April 25, 2007 3:34:00 AM, By Sean Murphy, Associated Press Writer
"I got to chat online with the predators and made phone calls, too," Nelson said by phone from Atlantic City, N.J. "The Suffolk County Police Department was there the whole time."
At least four men were arrested and face charges, said Avery Mann, a spokesman for the show. Another six men agreed to meet Nelson, of Lawton, Okla., he said.
"I would say I'm a 14-year-old female from Long Island. Sometimes they would say, 'You're too young, sorry,' which is exactly what needs to happen, but some would continue chatting.
"The story was that they knew I was 14, and I told them I was cutting school to meet with them," Nelson said. "I stood outside on the porch, and I would say, 'Hi' to them and wave them inside."
"That part was very scary, but the police were all over the place," Nelson said. "I was nervous, of course, but it was a very controlled environment, very safe."
"We came to the agreement that as long as she was safe and wanted to do this, we'd be behind her," McMaster said.
"As many as we caught on that day, there are a lot more out there," she said. "It's nice to know that they were chatting with police officers and me rather than a 14- or 15-year-old girl."