The Blount County Sheriff’s office carried out a successful sting operation last week thanks to an assist from a man who has made it his mission to protect your children from potential predators.He’s a man who would terrify any would-be sexual deviant; Chris Hansen, star of the hit NBC series “To Catch a Predator,” continues to hold these potential offenders accountable in his new show “Takedown with Chris Hansen.”“I’ve been doing these investigations for 20 years now,” said Hansen, “and every time I do it, you’re on high alert.”>> FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Hansen was originally in Blount County to do a podcast, but then he was introduced to Sheriff Mark Moon. They discussed some of the county’s sting operations, and decided to team up. “We saw three guys in two days, and we probably would have many more if we were able to do the investigation longer,” said Hansen.To make it happen, several deputies made fake profiles on social media, then made these men “an offer they couldn’t refuse.”“In one of the scenarios, it was that a mother was selling the daughter, which sadly we see all over the country in real life, which is why that scenario seems to be so productive in a criminal investigation like this one.”>> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for freeHansen said the social media lures were successful in drawing chats from several different states. But the men who actually got in their cars and drove to the location were statewide.“We had guys come from Birmingham, some guys come from Montgomery and, you know, places in between,” said Hansen.It’s what happens next that makes these encounters so dramatic.“You know the guy walks in, he sees the law enforcement decoy posing as the girl,” said Hansen. “There’s a sense of excitement on his part. He’s going to live out this fantasy he’s had about having sex with a teenage girl or boy in some cases. And suddenly, that decoy leaves and he’s facing me.” >> THE LATEST: Headlines and weather from WVTM 13Ultimately, Hansen hopes his work makes the world a safer place. “These interviews take the viewers, take people inside the minds of alleged predators,” said Hansen. “And I think by doing that, we can understand how this works. And parents can better protect their children from potential online dangers like these predators.”You can catch “Takedown with Chris Hansen” online here.
The Blount County Sheriff’s office carried out a successful sting operation last week thanks to an assist from a man who has made it his mission to protect your children from potential predators.
He’s a man who would terrify any would-be sexual deviant; Chris Hansen, star of the hit NBC series “To Catch a Predator,” continues to hold these potential offenders accountable in his new show “Takedown with Chris Hansen.”
“I’ve been doing these investigations for 20 years now,” said Hansen, “and every time I do it, you’re on high alert.”
>> FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Hansen was originally in Blount County to do a podcast, but then he was introduced to Sheriff Mark Moon. They discussed some of the county’s sting operations, and decided to team up.
“We saw three guys in two days, and we probably would have many more if we were able to do the investigation longer,” said Hansen.
To make it happen, several deputies made fake profiles on social media, then made these men “an offer they couldn’t refuse.”
“In one of the scenarios, it was that a mother was selling the daughter, which sadly we see all over the country in real life, which is why that scenario seems to be so productive in a criminal investigation like this one.”
>> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free
Hansen said the social media lures were successful in drawing chats from several different states. But the men who actually got in their cars and drove to the location were statewide.
“We had guys come from Birmingham, some guys come from Montgomery and, you know, places in between,” said Hansen.
It’s what happens next that makes these encounters so dramatic.
“You know the guy walks in, he sees the law enforcement decoy posing as the girl,” said Hansen. “There’s a sense of excitement on his part. He’s going to live out this fantasy he’s had about having sex with a teenage girl or boy in some cases. And suddenly, that decoy leaves and he’s facing me.”
>> THE LATEST: Headlines and weather from WVTM 13
Ultimately, Hansen hopes his work makes the world a safer place.
“These interviews take the viewers, take people inside the minds of alleged predators,” said Hansen. “And I think by doing that, we can understand how this works. And parents can better protect their children from potential online dangers like these predators.”
You can catch “Takedown with Chris Hansen” online here.
