Re Sting Operation, there were some incorrect comments about sting operation. It's not about watching illegal operations and going for the bust. It's a set up, like Ed described where there are decoy participants that lead a "suspect" on to break the law. Back in my hometown there was a sting operation on car detailers. They were trying to bust these body shops for insurance fraud. They sent in decoy customers that set them up, "I dented my car, can we fudge and file an insurance claim?". Then the cops went in (with reporters and photographers) and arrested these shop owners. The problem was, there was no crime. Some of the owners denied the decoys and were harassed and harassed and gave them their estimates, no intention of filing false claims. But they got their mugs plastered on the papers and charged with crimes anyhow. When the same operation in a nearby town started losing credibility, the charges got dropped one by one.
Sting Operations over drugs often use a real participant who is granted immunity or rewards for bringing in other participants/suspects.
27 Mar 2007, 1:46 pm
