Police call out tactics of Creep Catchers
Edmonton police say a vigilante group out to expose child predators are “reckless” and doing “more harm than good” after reports surfaced that a woman targeted in a sting by the group committed suicide.
“What Creep Catchers is doing is a one-off, a reckless one-off where there’s no repercussions. The person is free to go to continue to offend ... It’s a reckless protocol with no oversight,” said acting Staff Sgt. Stephen Camp of Alberta’s Integrated Child Exploitation Unit.
The head of the group, John Doep, took to social media in reaction to reports that a Creep Catchers operation may have led to the recent suicide of an Edmonton woman.
“There are not enough police online. Citizens need to stand up and play the role the current system can’t afford,” Doep wrote.
The woman, 27-year-old Katelynn McKnight, was featured in a Creep Catchers video that accused her of trying to lure a young girl for sex. The young girl, it turns out, was actually Doep.
Family members of McKnight have since accused Doep and his vigilante group of targeting vulnerable people.
Along with the issues of vigilante justice, Camp said there are practical issues that impact the ability of police to do their jobs.
“We can’t do anything when a vigilante group comes in and completely implodes or disrupts everything. Even if we wanted to go after this person that they just exposed, there’s no way,” Camp said.
He said he has seen instances when people being investigated by the ICE unit were approached by Creep Catchers. They then left the city and went on to commit crimes in other jurisdictions.
Added to that, when police arrest someone with mental health issues, it becomes part of the longterm, court-ordered plan to deal with them.
Camp also said there are conflicts that would make co-operation with the group impossible.
“As we can see from analyzing their website, they’re a for-profit organization,” Camp said.
“They’re in it for a number of reasons (and) one of them is commercial enterprise.
“We can’t be involved in anything like that.”