EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – Please don’t imitate a home-concocted sting that led to a sex arrest over the weekend, police said in a message to citizens. Such independent investigations can often be problematic, said the Eai Claire Police Department:
“While started out of good intentions, citizen-led investigations are not typically done in a way that will lead to a successful prosecution, and, in fact, often hamper or prevent prosecution. Critical evidence might be destroyed by the suspect or compromised, or later suppressed by a judge because of procedural violations traceable to the citizen group. Confronted people may also turn violent, which may put the citizen investigators as well as innocent bystanders in danger.”
The police statement encouraged citizens to be vigilant about criminal activity but not go beyond being tipsters. The message: Call us.