That sting was run back in May by Millersville Assistant Police Chief Shawn Taylor and a colorful cast of characters he assembled for the operation.

Among the revelations, the recordings show:

  • Taylor did not involve other law enforcement agencies with more experience in such operations because of his unfounded conspiracy theories that prominent state officials are involved in child sex trafficking.
  • Members of a private group posed online as minors — despite Millersville police being told by prosecutors that the sting would be legal only if sworn law enforcement officers were the ones doing the work.
  • Shawn Taylor told one operative that investigators would be using “pre-signed search warrants,” which would likely be illegal, according to experts.
  • Police arrested one suspect then, when he refused to talk to investigators, they turned him over to the private group for questioning.
  • A Millersville detective boasted that the suspect was being taken to a jail where it was likely that he might not come out alive.

Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20240717120405/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/franklin-politics/disturbing-recordings-from-inside-child-predator-sting-shows-police-maga-operatives-ignoring-laws

  • retrospectology@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    I hate people who make a big show of being “outraged” over child abuse as a way to cover for their own repugnant, violent beliefs and behaviors.

    It’s the same way some prisoner who murdered an entire family will beat or kill pedophiles in prison because he thinks he somehow redeems him on some level by having a “code”. In reality he’s still a massive piece of shit.

    It’s deeply self-serving exploitation of a very serious issue.

    • bolexforsoup@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      5 months ago

      For those who didn’t read the article, take note that one of the women involved ran for office as a Republican (obviously) and has been indicted for child abuse

    • TheFriar@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      But it’s also very much like how homophobes watch gay porn. These people are deeply religious, and that fruit comes from the same tree that gives us the virulent homophobes talking about how “everyone has gay thoughts and it’s our duty as soldiers of Christ to ignore them because it’s the demons.” They think everyone else is just acting on the same impulses they have, and this is just them being weak to “demon influence.”

      These people are dangerous for kids just like they’re dangerous for everyone else.

    • sleen@lemmy.zip
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      5 months ago

      It is in human nature that most people prefer not to be demonised by their abhorrent character/morals. One way to ‘break free’ or cover them up, is to demonise another minority. Of course, there is a lot of examples from extreme to light.

      In context with your post, that minority does seem to be the most ostracised within the majority (even the non-offending) - to the situation that harassment and ‘murder?’ By most communities is tolerated.

      The situation can be observed everywhere, online and offline; and one point can be ruled out in some cases “murder is justified if the person was a pedophile (non-offending & offending)”.

      This is one of the most extreme cases of improving your character at the cost of others. Harassment will remain harassment no matter what.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        It’s not just about rehabilitating your own character. Most animals on this planet have a deep seated need to protect the young of their own species. Even to the point of adopting the young from other species sometimes. Pedophiles violate that protective instinct. That’s why it’s so hard to treat them fairly in the justice system. Where we can look at some one accused of an armed robbery and ask ourselves if the evidence meets the burden; we are already working backwards from trying not to kill an accused pedophile in a courtroom.

    • frezik@midwest.social
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      5 months ago

      There’s a little more to prisoners beating up pedophiles. Many of them are themselves victims of child abuse. It’s revenge.

      • retrospectology@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Either way it’s intellectually dishonest, hypocritical and inherently anti-justice.

        If I get robbed by someone, and then later go to prison and find out some random prisoner is a thief, I’m not morally entitled to attack that person (who is already serving their time).

        Prison justice is 100% bullshit.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          No, they don’t care if you were a thief outside. They care if you’re a thief inside. They’re not doing it just because of a code, they’re defending the tiny amount of property they’re allowed to have. We also wouldn’t even blink if a homeowner beat up a thief in their house, so this is a bit hypocritical.

          • retrospectology@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            No, they don’t care if you were a thief outside. They care if you’re a thief inside.

            I’m not talking about if someone steals from you in prison (not that it’s justifiable to be violent because someone stole something from you in prison anyway).

            The analogy here is getting robbed at some point and then beating up some other entirely random thief who never robbed you (who’s already getting punished for their crime in prison). When a pedophile is put in prison, there are no children for them to victimize, they are being punished for the crime they committed. They are not trying to rape the adult prisoners, so those prisoners can’t claim they were victimized by that person.

            Prisoners are not fit to administer justice, they are there to serve for their own crimes and moral failings, not play at being judge and jury for fellow criminals.

            • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Dude, most of the people in prison are there for drugs and robbery. That’s not even feasible. I don’t know where you heard that’s a thing, but it isn’t.

                • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  It would be infeasible for the prison justice code to include thievery done outside prison. Your example is ridiculous and meant to minimize the impact sexual predators have on people’s lives.

                  • retrospectology@lemmy.world
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                    5 months ago

                    It would be infeasible for the prison justice code to include thievery done outside prison.

                    What are you talking about? Why is this so difficult for you to understand? If Joe steals from you, that doesn’t give you a moral right to take it out on Bill because Bill also stole from someone before.

                    Likewise, if you were sexually abused by Joe, you don’t have a moral right to take it out on Bill because he sexually abused someone. Especially when Bill is already serving prison time for his crime.

                    I don’t know how I can make it any simpler for you.

                    Your example is ridiculous and meant to minimize the impact sexual predators have on people’s lives.

                    No. It’s not, and you know it’s not. It’s too illustrate how revenge is not transferrable and is mot an acceptable form of justice. The pedophiles that are attacked in prison are already recieving their punishment as handed down by the justice system by being in prison. The prisoners are not agents of our justice system, they are fucking criminals who are in prison for breaking the law. They don’t get the right to hurt anyone

                    What you’re advocating is that everyone is entitled to administer whatever extrajudicial punishment they want because it makes them feel good.

                    Prisoners do not have a legal or moral right to administer their own justice, regardless of whether or not they were victims of some crime in the past.