I'm no lawyer but have watched enough pred hunters on YouTube to know a bit about how it goes. Every LEO agency is different and some won't even arrest the pred if they assault him or even harass him in legal ways.
here's from AI
Assaulting the pedophiles during these sting operations can jeopardize the prosecution in several ways:
Evidence contamination: Any physical altercation or assault on the suspect might lead to the contamination or loss of crucial evidence needed for a successful prosecution. This could result in the case being thrown out of court.
Violation of civil rights: Assaulting the suspect might be considered a violation of their civil rights, especially if the evidence against them is not strong enough. This could lead to a lawsuit against the vigilante group and potentially result in the case being dismissed.
Entrapment defense: If the vigilante group uses excessive force or coercion, the suspect's lawyer might argue that their client was entrapped, leading to the case being dismissed or a not guilty verdict.
Tainting the jury: The graphic nature of the assault might influence the jury's perception of the case, making it difficult for them to remain objective and focus on the evidence at hand.
Legal consequences for the vigilantes: The individuals involved in the assault could face criminal charges themselves, which might undermine their credibility as witnesses and damage the prosecution's case
Also any warrant obtained from the chat logs would be worthless. Creep's lawyer could easily challenge legal "probable cause" given the circumstances. That means any evidence obtained (pics on phone, chat logs, etc) would be thrown out in court assuming a DA even tried to prosecute him.
Imagine if he had "those" kind of pics on his phone of him doing God know's what to some kid...now LEA can't do a damn thing about it and creep walks free.
100%. I think people underestimate the power of lawfare in cases involving average Joe Schmo's on the street. By now we are familiar with high-level lawfare, but regular people who enter "the system" encounter it all the time, and from both sides!
Yeah, it really depends on where you're at. However the overall message I got from watching these groups is that to make sure the pred gets successfully prosecuted, as well as to avoid going to jail themselves, the whole sting op must be 100% on the up-and-up. Every T crossed and i dotted
Think of them as actual cops, minus the arrest / charging powers. The cops don't start whaling on the preds they sting, unless of course they assault the cops.. but even that only results in lawful takedown techniques, tazors or mace, and deadly force if the suspect pulls a weapon. (in this situation of course, the ameatures have lawful deadly force to protect their lives, as anybody would)
So the pred hunters need to also act lawfully to have the best results
How?
I'm no lawyer but have watched enough pred hunters on YouTube to know a bit about how it goes. Every LEO agency is different and some won't even arrest the pred if they assault him or even harass him in legal ways.
here's from AI
Assaulting the pedophiles during these sting operations can jeopardize the prosecution in several ways:
Evidence contamination: Any physical altercation or assault on the suspect might lead to the contamination or loss of crucial evidence needed for a successful prosecution. This could result in the case being thrown out of court.
Violation of civil rights: Assaulting the suspect might be considered a violation of their civil rights, especially if the evidence against them is not strong enough. This could lead to a lawsuit against the vigilante group and potentially result in the case being dismissed.
Entrapment defense: If the vigilante group uses excessive force or coercion, the suspect's lawyer might argue that their client was entrapped, leading to the case being dismissed or a not guilty verdict.
Tainting the jury: The graphic nature of the assault might influence the jury's perception of the case, making it difficult for them to remain objective and focus on the evidence at hand.
Legal consequences for the vigilantes: The individuals involved in the assault could face criminal charges themselves, which might undermine their credibility as witnesses and damage the prosecution's case
Also any warrant obtained from the chat logs would be worthless. Creep's lawyer could easily challenge legal "probable cause" given the circumstances. That means any evidence obtained (pics on phone, chat logs, etc) would be thrown out in court assuming a DA even tried to prosecute him.
Imagine if he had "those" kind of pics on his phone of him doing God know's what to some kid...now LEA can't do a damn thing about it and creep walks free.
100%. I think people underestimate the power of lawfare in cases involving average Joe Schmo's on the street. By now we are familiar with high-level lawfare, but regular people who enter "the system" encounter it all the time, and from both sides!
I could see it going that way especially under this admin.
Yeah, it really depends on where you're at. However the overall message I got from watching these groups is that to make sure the pred gets successfully prosecuted, as well as to avoid going to jail themselves, the whole sting op must be 100% on the up-and-up. Every T crossed and i dotted
Think of them as actual cops, minus the arrest / charging powers. The cops don't start whaling on the preds they sting, unless of course they assault the cops.. but even that only results in lawful takedown techniques, tazors or mace, and deadly force if the suspect pulls a weapon. (in this situation of course, the ameatures have lawful deadly force to protect their lives, as anybody would)
So the pred hunters need to also act lawfully to have the best results
Actually, that was a great explanation. Thank you.