The Reality Check Every Parent Needs
What Predator Sting Operations Reveal
Editor’s Note:
In a candid video message recorded with her horses, child safety expert Dottie Laster shares an important observation about predator sting operations and what they reveal about the dangers children face online. We’ve put together a short summary (below) providing you with some added info! Thanks for being part of the team!
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Dottie & Larry
A "Guilty Pleasure" with a Purpose
Laster “admits” to watching TRU (True Blue Network), Chris Hansen's investigative network that catches adults attempting to meet children for sexual purposes. While she acknowledges it's her "guilty pleasure," her motivation is clear:
"I don't usually revel in people's pain, [but] I do rejoice in the fact that so many kids will be spared the actions of this monster that we've had evidence on the video to show he shouldn't be interacting with anyone's children."
These operations reveal a disturbing reality about predators: "That's all their brains are wired to do," Laster explains, referring to their singular focus on exploiting children.
The Terrifying Question
Hansen's signature question during these stings cuts to the heart of the danger: "What would have happened if there was a 13 or a 14 or a 15 or a 16-year-old child here and we weren't here? Instead of cameras and police, it was actually a child home alone—what would you have done?"
Despite their denials, Laster points out that the evidence speaks for itself: "The transcripts are felonies by the time they get the address to come, sometimes multiple felonies."
Real-World Parallels
These aren't just theoretical scenarios. Laster has worked "many cases where that's happened where the parents didn't know" about predators who met their children online and showed up at their homes. The transition from online grooming to physical danger happens rapidly because children today freely share personal information:
"They post where they go to school, where their friends are, where they hang out, where they live, and so what starts out online becomes in person very rapidly."
Additional Resources
Laster also recommends Colorado Ped Patrol on YouTube, run by a father whose own child was sexually assaulted by someone met online. This operation has caught over 500 people "that agreed to meet a child after a sexually charged conversation" in a relatively short time—and the operator has a full-time job, meaning he could catch even more if time allowed.
The Sobering Truth
"All you have to do to attract a monster is be a child online," Laster states bluntly.
Her recommendation for parents is direct: watch these educational shows to understand the scope of the threat. "You can't understand how dangerous the internet is until you watch these shows."
A Call to Action
Laster concludes with an urgent appeal to parents to take responsibility: "We are the stewards of our children's lives, and if we don't protect them, who will?"
She dismisses common parental assumptions: "I know they want to say 'My kid would tell me.' Trust me, these monsters actually know how to keep your kid quiet."
Her final message is uncompromising: "If you aren't getting in your kids' business, you're not parenting. Put on your bootstraps, pull them up tight, and let's go parent these kids. Make your home hostile to any monster that would pull up and walk into your house with your kid alone."
The shows Laster references are TRU and Colorado Ped Patrol on YouTube—serve as stark reminders of how easily predators can access children online and why constant vigilance from parents isn't optional—it's essential.