SEYMOUR, Ind. (WDRB) -- Vigilantes hoping to exact justice on child predators have launched sting operations on at least two occasions recently. The sting operations in the Seymour area are then posted on social media, where public shaming of the target begins.
However, prosecutors and police are sending a public message that this actually hinders efforts to put sex predators in jail.
"How do we know the target was the one making those posts online, and it wasn't someone else?" Jackson County Prosecutor Jeff Chalfant said. "I live in a world not where I think someone did it. I live in a world where I have to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt."
In a letter posted publicly, Chalfant, the police chiefs of Seymour and Brownstown as well as the Jackson County sheriff all ask that the public stop trying to take matters into their own hands.
An open letter from law enforcement in Jackson County, Ind. warning against vigilante justice.
"Vigilantism is extremely dangerous, and we strongly discourage these sting operations," the letter states. "Sooner or later, a sting operation will result in violence, injury, and death."
The operations to publicly shame suspected pedophiles have gained steam in recent years and are becoming more prevalent. The operations in Seymour mirror those seen recently near and north of Indianapolis.
"The last thing we need is someone doing their own sting operations, and it becoming a thing to do," Chalfant said. "If you have someone who you believe is committing a crime like this, just call the police. The police will follow up on it. I want to prosecute child molesters, but I just don't want the public to do these investigations."
Prosecutors said these types of operations may lead to public shaming but rarely lead to any consequences beyond that. Because the operations are conducted outside of police scrutiny, evidence building to actually bring a criminal case against a suspect is almost non-existent.
In fact, some experts said amateur operations can often lead to would-be predators not falling for actual police sting operations.
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