To Catch A Predator and the Limelight

See, here's what bugs me about this Chris Hansen guy Ace was talking about the other day.

For a long time in Oklahoma City, there was a dude they called the "video vigilante". He went around a bad part of town, videotaping johns soliciting prostitutes or hooking up with them in cars, and show the footage on the internet. He claimed it was part of his crusade to clean up Oklahoma City, and he got a lot of publicity for his work.

Which may have been the problem. Maybe Brian Bates, the "video vigilante", started out with good intentions. He might have done some good. But the whole thing turned out to be a little too good to be true, since in Feb. 2005, Brian Bates was arrested for pandering.

Not that he was really a pimp in the regular sense of the word. From the Smoking Gun's summary of the charges against him:

According to the below Oklahoma City Police Department report, Brian Bates, 34, orchestrated the public encounters so he could peddle the resulting videotape to media outlets (some of Bates's surveillance tapes are offered for sale on his web site). In his dealings with prostitutes, Bates was choosy, investigators contend. For example, if a john was a "regular," Bates asked prostitutes to give "specific signals" so he would know not to bother rolling tape.

I don't think Chris Hansen is skeezy like Brian Bates. But I get kind of an icky vibe off the show, just like the other video vigilante's work. I'm glad the pervs are getting exposed, shamed, and busted, of course; but as much as I like them to get their comeuppance I don't feel any need to watch it happen as a matter of entertainment.