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''To Catch a Predator'' is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine program ''Dateline NBC''. It was devoted to impersonating underage people (generally ages 13–15) and detaining male adults who contacted them over the Internet for sexual liaisons. People were lured to meet with a decoy under the pretense of sexual contact and then confronted. Show host Chris Hansen clarified in an interview with NPR News that these subjects should be labeled as potential sexual predators, and not pedophiles. "Pedophiles have a very specific definition, people who are interested in prepubescent sex," he stated.〔("Ethics of NBC's Sting Show 'To Catch a Predator'" ), Talk of the Nation, National Public Radio, January 16, 2007〕 The series premiered in November 2004, and featured 12 investigations in total held across the United States. The investigations were conducted as undercover sting operations with the help of online watchdog group Perverted-Justice. Since the third installment, law enforcement and other officials were also involved, leading to the arrests of most individuals caught. No new episodes have aired since December 2007. NBC affiliates WTMJ in Milwaukee, KSHB in Kansas City and WBRE in Wilkes-Barre have also done local versions of ''To Catch a Predator''. Various spin-offs have aired in the same format, including ''To Catch a Con Man'', ''To Catch an ID Thief'', ''To Catch a Car Thief'' and ''To Catch an i-Jacker'', which featured iPod thieves. ''To Catch a Predator'' is also aired on FX and Crime & Investigation Network in the United Kingdom, the Crime & Investigation Network in Australia and New Zealand and FOX Crime in Portugal. == Method == The method that was used to catch would-be sex offenders is derived from that normally used by Perverted-Justice. Perverted-Justice volunteers build profiles identified as underage individuals on social networking websites, and enter chatrooms as decoys. They set up adults to message or email the decoy and begin a dialogue. If the conversation turns sexual in nature (the content in question initiated by the adult), the decoy will not discourage this, nor outright encourage it. This also can help the Perverted-Justice team in collecting incriminating evidence against the alleged offender. Such evidence could include engaging in sexual conversations, sending the decoy pornography or child pornography, and committing other acts. The chatroom visitors are eventually led to believe that the supposed minor is home alone, and come inside the house or to an agreed-upon location, seeking sexual activity from the decoy. The decoy finds a reason to leave the room within seconds of meeting the visitor, which would seem suspicious to the average observer. Soon after meeting the decoy, they are confronted by Hansen who instructs them to "have a seat" and states that he "needs" to talk to them. Hansen questions each one at length about their intentions. Some leave immediately upon seeing Hansen, because they recognize that he is clearly not a teenager, or they have seen him in previous ''Dateline'' investigations. Hansen, without initially identifying himself, interviews the suspects about their intentions, and also reads aloud some of the graphic portions of the chat to inform them that the logs were indeed recorded. Those who have not seen Hansen's ''Dateline'' investigations before often assume he is either the child's father or a member of a law enforcement agency. After a few minutes of questioning, Hansen identifies himself as a ''Dateline NBC'' correspondent and informs the visitor that the entire interview has been recorded on hidden camera as part of the ''Dateline NBC'' story. Then, ''Dateline'' crew members with large cameras and microphones reveal themselves, and the person is offered a chance to make a final statement before being asked to leave. The first two investigations did not include law enforcement officers on site, and individuals caught in the sting were allowed to leave voluntarily, though ''Dateline'' would provide all video and transcripts to law enforcement and suspects would eventually be arrested. Arrests are sometimes made in a dramatic fashion by multiple officers who, with Taser drawn, ambush the suspect and command him to lie face-down on the ground before being handcuffed. In the Fort Myers investigation, a police officer in camouflage sometimes arrested the perpetrators as they left the sting house. Tasers are sometimes shown being used to subdue fleeing〔''When Smith tries to run from the deputies, he's shot by a Taser and knocked to the ground.'' – 〕 or merely unresponsive〔''When he is confronted by police, they ask him put his hands up. He does not respond quickly enough, and the result is a taser shot.'' :Hansen: ''Why was it necessary to use the taser on this guy?'' :Sgt. Lee DeBrabander: ''He's already demonstrated that he's not going to listen to the orders of the police officers. A lot of these guys, they are confronted with the reality that they are about to be exposed for what they did. And a lot of them may try violence to get away. The taser was used to prevent any injury to him and also to any police officers.'' – (YouTube-hosted video ) also available.〕 individuals. During interviews, suspects often claim not to have any idea how old the supposed minor is, even when confronted by Hansen with chat logs showing the decoy clearly identifying him or herself as underage. In some jurisdictions, online solicitation with the belief that the other person is below the age of consent is a crime, regardless of whether the other person actually is. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「To Catch a Predator」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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