A Brief History
On November 2, 2007, Ozzy Osbourne, he of bat biting satanic rock fame, was highly irate over police using a party in North Dakota alleging to include the presence of the famous rocker to invite 500 wanted persons, resulting in 30 arrests.
Digging Deeper
Police issuing invitations to “parties” or some sort of “giveaway” to known wanted criminals to lure those folks into a trap have been a regular police tactic for many years now. Likewise, police use fake internet personas to lure pedophiles and sexual predators, which many have seen on the TV show “To Catch a Predator.” The same sort of internet trickery or undercover officers acting out a role can also be used to catch people seeking to hire an assassin to kill somebody, or engage in some other crime.
Another old police trick is to use female officers as bait for men seeking hook ups with prostitutes. Likewise, cops pretending to be prospective clients of prostitutes are another common police tactic, while some people have questioned the legality and ethics of prostitution stings.
Note: Other sneaky police tricks are used in interrogations, to make arrestees believe their accomplices have turned on them, and such lying is actually a legit tactic. Other sneaky measures include unmarked police cars, bait cars or bait packages, plain clothes cops and other tricks involving spying type activity such as secret cameras, telephone traps and “bugs.”
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What is the sneakiest police tactic?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Kaye, Larry P.I. 51 Dirty Tricks Bad Guys Really Hate: Sneaky Tactics used by Police, Private Investigators and Bounty Hunters. Be Amazing Productions, LLC, 2014.
Plantinga, Adam. 400 Things Cops Know: Street-Smart Lessons from a Veteran Patrolman. Quill Driver Books, 2014.
