A Houston-based group known for confronting suspected online child predators across the country is drawing some concern from law enforcement after its latest operation in La Porte.
The group, called “Predator Poachers,” was founded by Houston resident Alex Rosen in 2019. He said he launched the effort seven years ago to target what he calls a growing issue.
“These child predators are a massive problem to society,” Rosen said.
Rosen said the group operates undercover online, posing as minors to identify potential suspects.
“We do have fake accounts online, and predators from across the country message us under the assumption that we’re minors,” Rosen said. “Our goal is to identify, confront, expose and help prosecute online child predators across the country.”
Rosen told KHOU 11 that the group’s work has now led to arrests in all 50 states.
“The fact that there’s so many child predators isn’t too good, but the fact that we’ve caught so many and identified so many and are responsible for over 310 convictions nationwide, that is a good thing,” Rosen said.
He said the operation is largely funded through donations, and he has about 20 team members who help run the fake accounts and film his confrontations with potential predators.
RELATED: La Porte police investigating potential online child solicitation after vigilante group confronts resident
The group’s latest so-called sting took place Tuesday in a La Porte neighborhood. Rosen said an undercover team member connected online with a person who allegedly sent pornographic images and arranged a meeting for sex. The group then went to that person’s home.
“He agreed to talk to us and during our conversation, he admitted to all the messages, admitted to talking to other minors online,” Rosen said.
La Porte Police Department Assistant Chief John Krueger said officers responded to the scene and collected electronic devices belonging to the potential suspect and the Predator Poachers members. Even so, he said police could not do much.
“Obviously, the vigilante group wanted law enforcement to take immediate action, and that’s not exactly the way it works. Law enforcement needs to investigate,” Krueger said. “When a vigilante group collects information, and they’re not certified, they’re not law enforcement, there could be coercion, extortion or other areas that may have come in there that allowed them to get that information. In addition, we’re all familiar with AI right now. Things can be made up and can be fake, so our forensic investigators have to verify whether or not, first, that it’s valid and then where did it come from.”
Krueger added that groups such as Predator Poachers should work with law enforcement on the front end, instead of taking matters into their own hands.
“When a vigilante group decides that they’re going to go in and try to enforce law, quite often in most cases, they compromise the case. The evidence they seized and the way that they got it can’t be verified or can’t be justified in a court of law,” Krueger said. “If you want to be an activist group and help out, great, then turn over stuff and get law enforcement involved… To get it done right in the end, and to get convictions, we’ve got to do it the right way.”
KHOU 11 asked Rosen for his response to that.
“There is no investigative process before we got involved,” Rosen said. “We are giving cops awesome tips from civilians, we’re giving documented evidence from start to finish, we’re giving full video confessions, especially in this case, and we’re giving very prosecutable cases… All the evidence is just already documented for the cops. That doesn’t impede an investigation. That aids an investigation.”
La Porte police said the Harris County District Attorney’s Office declined to accept charges for now and asked investigators to resubmit the case after thoroughly reviewing the seized electronic devices.
KHOU 11 contacted the DA’s office, and a spokesperson said they reached out to the prosecutors with the strongest knowledge of this investigation in order to comment.
Meanwhile, Rosen said “Predator Poachers” plans to continue its operations, including another sting outside of Texas soon that he is already preparing for.
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