The following are excerpts from a Miami Herald article dated February 22, 2007, along with corrections and clarifications regarding the reporting in the story.
CORRECTION: Procedures for BSO’s Operation Home Alone differed significantly from those used in similar, televised operations. All on line communications were done by trained detectives, not civilian third party organizations. All suspects were arrested, processed and questioned by detectives in accordance with normal arrest procedures. There was no contact between suspects and media before the arrest. There was no contact between suspects and media before suspects were advised of their miranda rights and interviewed by detectives. The only contact between suspects and media was (similar to countless previous cases) when the suspects were being walked to a waiting vehicle to be transported to the Broward County jail.
"...To Catch a Predator, a regular segment on Dateline NBC and the template for this sting, has caught a lot of predators, but it has also caught hell from defense attorneys and civil libertarians for entrapping people and turning their squirming denials and rationalizations into a TV spectacle."
CORRECTION: Procedures for BSO’s Operation Home Alone differed significantly from those used in similar, televised operations. All on line communications were done by trained detectives, not civilian third party organizations. All suspects were arrested, processed and questioned by detectives in accordance with normal arrest procedures. There was no contact between suspects and media before the arrest. There was no contact between suspects and media before suspects were advised of their miranda rights and interviewed by detectives. The only contact between suspects and media was (similar to countless previous cases) when the suspects were being walked to a waiting vehicle to be transported to the Broward County jail.
