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

  • sleen@lemmy.zip
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    6 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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      6 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.