Comments about ‘Shurtleff criticizes Internet safety report’

Shurtleff just doesn't want to admit that his task force is being used to entice and lure with false information and acting irresponsible as a law enforcement agency. The report should be taken serious and factual, and his task force eliminated. An adult working as a sting operator is not representative of the real world of internet use by children. His task force is creating all the evidence and acting as adults, not children. His record only indicates that it is possible but the actions aren't real. There is a big difference in creating a crime scene and it can be done for any reason or attempt to lure people to break the laws. The very nature of greed is all it takes to lure someone in to breaking a law that some would normally not want to be involved in. Shurtleff is preying on the victims they are creating. The practice of law enforcement creating crimes running sting operations should be outlawed as criminal in themselves. It victimizes innocent people before any crime is committed.

Shurtleff and his team trumpet each entrapment arrest greatly - but the actual arrest numbers are low. And, the convictions arising out of those arrests are relatively minor - as most of them are pleaded down.

Look at the money budgeted for this effort throughout the involved departments (Attorney General's Office, Department of Public Safety...) and you'll see that substantial resources are being dedicated for minimal results. It's one of those areas where law enforcement leadership wants to perpetuate the image they are tough on crime (always a political "best-seller") but the program has very poor returns on the invested resources.

But, what do I know. I've only worked in law enforcement alongside these people for a few decades.

The attorneys general create a task force, but when the reality doesn't match their assumptions, they deny it. (Incidentally, this article fails to mention that several members of the task force were child-safety organizations.)

...via the internet and asks for the AG office's help, that person is shifted off and blamed.

It's all window-dressing.

The report is GREAT news, celebrate it!