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Date Posted: 05:27:20 10/08/06 Sun
Author: Dan
Subject: Protecting kids from online sex predators

They enter Internet chat rooms, actively searching for sexual conversations and graphic photo exchanges — and ultimately, direct encounters — with children.

Far too often, they are successful.

But the online exchanges often are a mix of fact and fiction as both sides try to enhance their desired image, and it’s possible to get stung.

And on the weekend of Aug. 25-27, 29 men were very, very badly stung in Petaluma.

The men were lured to an eastside home by the Petaluma Police Department’s Special Operations Division and Perverted Justice, a nationwide volunteer organization that monitors online Web sites and chat rooms as it tries to identify and expose sexual predators. These men subsequently were charged with lewd and attempted lewd and lascivious acts involving children, which can result in a prison term of 18 months to four years, and with burglary/entry with intent to commit a felony, which can bring a two- to six-year jail sentence. Some of the men had criminal histories, and were charged with other crimes, as well.

“I’m very pleased with the way the operation unfolded,” said Sgt. Matthew Stapleton, who along with Lt. Danny Fish, coordinated the sting. “Our staff was phenomenal, and we received outstanding support from other agencies.”

The California Bureau of Investigation, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, and Santa Rosa Police Department assisted Petaluma Police at their own expense. Also, the entire operation was covered by NBC News’ program “Dateline NBC” as part of its series on sexual predators and is scheduled to be aired in two parts, with the first tentatively slated for Sept. 29.

Stapleton said that the sting was triggered by the Polly Klaas murder and other local predator acts against children.

“Sexual-predator crimes against children are a major concern to the community, so we wanted to label Petaluma as an inappropriate area for this type of behavior,” Stapleton said.

So, Fish, Stapleton, Detective Steve Nelson and officers Bob Barnes, Mike Pierre and Paul Gilman participated in the “Crimes Against Children Conference,” from May 31 to June 2. It was hosted by the San Jose Police Department, and provided participants with an overview as well as special training in matters such as how to engage sexual predators in online conversations.

The Petaluma unit soon began planning a sting operation, but had to fine-tune its usage of Internet lingo to engage possible child predators.

“It was quite a challenge,” Stapleton said.

Posing as a 13-year-old girl, the officers mixed reluctance with curiosity to lure potential predators. Legally, police can’t introduce sex into the conversation, but can respond with sexual content.

Stapleton provided a transcription from one of the contacts.

contact: u have any other pics????

police (using fictitious name): like what?

contact: do u?

police: yeah, nothing like u wanta c. mom took my cam phone away cuz of that ... lol (laugh out loud), lol

contact: cuz of what?

police: my gf (girlfriend) and i bein stupid ... VERY stupid

contact: u were takeing naked pic?

police: not all naked ... just teezin

Customarily, police took some time to lure their contacts, because acting overly anxious can deter many suspects.

“The process became enormously time consuming, so we got Perverted Justice involved,” Stapleton said.

Perverted Justice consists of trained, adult volunteers who pose as minors in the chat rooms.

Most of the time, Petaluma police and Perverted Justice volunteers engaged in multiple conversations with their contacts, with the hope of eventually luring them to a location where they could be arrested.

“Ultimately, we had engaged in chats with over 100 people who we found acceptable to invite to a home,” Stapleton said.

Petaluma police contacted the owner of a local home to find out if it would be available for a mass sting operation. The house ultimately proved too small, but the family’s other home on the 1800 block of Castle Drive proved ideal, and it was available because the family was going to be out of town.

Days before the sting, police personnel began making preparations as puzzled neighbors looked on.

“At first, I thought someone must either be moving in or out of the place,” said Gary Walden, a neighbor.

The operation was kept secret even to the vast majority of Petaluma police officers until the first sting day.

“Our personnel knew something was happening, but didn’t know what. We kept the operation very tightly under wraps,” Stapleton said.

Eventually, around 40 men were invited to the home, but more than a dozen didn’t come.

Police investigated the men to determine what vehicles they might be driving, and followed some of them as they drove into Petaluma. Undercover officers waited for the suspects, and a team of six to eight officers in the home next to the sting house were assigned to arrest them. As hidden cameras rolled, the men walked in the open door of the sting house, and were met by officers with their guns drawn.

Over the three-day period, 29 men — ranging in age from 20 to 48, and from many different ethnic backgrounds and Bay Area locations — were arrested. None of the men were from Petaluma.

Neighbors are still talking about the incident, and two expressed qualified misgivings.

“I have concerns about these people coming into the neighborhood, because they may come back at a later date and cause problems,” Walden said. “But it’s good to send a message that this type of person isn’t welcome in Sonoma County. Hopefully, something very good will come out of the whole thing.”

“I wish that we had known about the operation in advance, but overall, it’s a positive thing,” said Walden’s wife, Suzanne. “We have two teenage boys, so it’s good to make people see that someone is watching this type of activity, and to know that perpetrators will be caught.

“More power to the cops,” said neighbor John Nelson. “The Internet is a problem area for crime, and I’m glad they’re paying attention to it.”

Fish said last week that the police department had received no complaints about the sting.

“But we’ve had a lot of positive calls, and when we’re on the streets, many people want to shake our hands for the job we did,” he said.

The owner of the home, who doesn’t want to be identified, said he, too, has been thanked.

“Some neighbors have congratulated me, and none have complained to me. It absolutely feels good to contribute to this operation,” he said.

Sixty people served on the multi-agency task force during the sting, including many Petaluma police officers.

“We faced a huge organizational challenge, and we encountered glitches — some expected, and some unexpected — every step of the way,” Stapleton said. “And we spent a considerable amount of money, especially because we had to pay so much overtime.

“But we’ve brought attention to a significant local problem, and captured parents’ eyes so they will have an opportunity to better deal with it.”

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