> While not completely clearcut, there is a big
> difference between a 40-year
> old guy trolling through teen chat rooms to initiate
> contact, versus an
> undercover cop posing as an underage girl and
> soliciting guys until one
> responds. The issue of entrapment should be who
> initiatied the proposed
> illegal transaction.
-That would bar all stings. I don't think that is a -good idea. Btw, another sting thing you hear about is -cops posing as killers for hire to catch people who -want to hace hits done. There, of course, hit men -don't advertise. jks
As I said, it's not completely clearcut, but there are lines of aggressive solitication in a sting versus just creating opportunities. Take the online issue-- if an undercover cop solicits men in a site dedicated to discussions of fantasies about having sex with teens, that's a bit different from soliciting people randomly. An undercover cop posting as a prostitute in a known area of prostitution is different from a cop propositioning a man, then after he's responded and they are walking to his house, telling him he'll have to pay for the pleasure.
But stings in general are problematic, since the weakness of human nature means many people have a price if pressed. Most people avoid temptation, since it's far harder to resist it.
-- Nathan Newman