Cyber Crime Fighters: Tales from the Trenches

7We Catch Sexual Predators—What You Don’t See on TV

The Internet has helped transform what used to be a nearly hidden crime—child exploitation and pornography (referred to by law enforcement as KP or “kiddie porn”) into what was estimated in 2006 to be a $20-billion-a-year criminal enterprise. According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, there are more than 10,000 child porn sites involving more than 300,000 children.

The Dateline Debacle: To Catch a Predator

Although the television viewing public can’t get enough of the series, the show has turned out to be a nightmare for law enforcement.

Millions of people have tuned in to watch Dateline NBC’s To Catch a Predator series with investigative reporter Chris Hansen. ...