Best Laid Plans

As a computer programmer I understand, probably more than most, the power of perception.

I have a favorite cartoon that perfectly exemplifies how extreme different perspectives can look:

A few of my favorite parts of this analogy include how those ‘selling’ the project extol it’s virtues, and how documentation and support are non existent 🙂

This anecdote, of everyone’s drastically different view on reality, has always made me laugh and shake my head.

Yet it comes to my mind in a less playful way when considering the different view points of the police proactive stings. These operations are increasing at an alarming rate across the country, claiming the lives and futures of often hundreds of citizens at a time. Not to mention the lives of families and friends, pulled into this mess through association.

This week, as with most weeks, I was reading through the Washington State court records of published, and unpublished, opinions. I search for helpful judgements to these cases, and to keep up with the constantly emerging police tactics.

I often think about the public opinion, in regards to both what the media reports on these cases, and what the police press conferences state – how proactive stings are protecting our children by keeping these sexual predators off the streets. These deviants whose sole purpose was to find a child to corrupt!

Yet looking at the documentation of these cases shows nothing to prove such accusations. Often, as with the man I am currently speaking to in WA state, the documents used to obtain his arrest warrant (post arrest) have disappeared. Yet the charges and trial are not dropped!

As with most of the pictures in the tree swing analogy, I don’t see how the process can even claim success – let alone expect payment (public funding) or praise.

This week I read an opinion of a man who was turned in to the police by his girlfriend, after years in which the two of them sexually preyed on children together.

We, as the public and makers of legislature, have asked the police to proactively trap such people as are reported in this case:

“Morgan and Hall would watch child pornography every time they would use drugs, which was several times a day. Morgan preferred pornography videos in which children cried and screamed. Morgan and Hall often discussed “snatching” children off the street to abuse them or having children of their own to abuse them.”

But the proactive stings are not catching these people….THIS is who we expect the police to find and bring to justice through proactive stings. These people have corroborating evidence in their possession. These people are not on adults only dating sites…these people are in our communities and preying upon our families.

Stop pretending to help keep us safe from monsters and ACTUALLY DO YOUR JOBS!