(The Center Square) – The Washington State Patrol has leveraged “net nanny” operations since 2015 to arrest hundreds of alleged child predators, but state lawmakers have concerns that could redirect its efforts.
Senate lawmakers moved legislation out of committee on Thursday that would reestablish the WSP’s Missing and Exploited Children Task Force, or MECTF, advisory board. While the task force still exists, the Legislature terminated its oversight board nearly a decade ago.
The board went roughly six years without meeting before dissolving, but Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, wants to bring it back with Senate Bill 5282. If approved, the board must submit annual reports detailing the MECTF’s reactive and proactive sting operations, with “recommendations to better achieve the objectives of the MECTF.”
Wellman is also pushing Senate Bill 5312, which would reduce the sex offender registration requirement for those convicted in net nanny operations to five years. The undercover work has grown immensely in popularity as individuals pose as fictitious minors to catch child predators.
The New York Times published an Aug. 2020 feature on the WSP’s net nanny operations, highlighting ethical concerns around potential entrapment and donor-funded support. However, the agency says the proactive efforts have a ripple effect that protects countless victims.
“A [reestablished] board would ensure honesty and integrity and allow the task force to focus on real threats to the community,” according to a staff summary of public testimony on SB 5282, “instead of targeting vulnerable populations, such as those who are neurodivergent or “lonely.”
Supporters testified before the Senate Law & Justice Committee last Monday, with some arguing that law enforcement is abusing its role in the work. Some expressed concerns with the MECTF prioritizing stings over child exploitation case referrals and staffing shortages.
“There have been no children rescued, and most of the victims of this operation have undergone evaluation and were found not to pose a risk to the public,” Seattle resident Colin Wood testified last Monday following his own 2020 arrest as a result of a net nanny operation.
Wellman said putting roughly 300 people in prison for five years could cost taxpayers around $100 million amid a massive revenue shortfall. She expressed a need “to get real child predators off the streets” who are “causing or trying to cause the most real damage,” given the constraints.
Supporters argued the stings target vulnerable individuals who might not have committed the crime otherwise, but opponents disagreed. Some expressed that even if a “real” child wasn’t involved, the intent alone is criminal and, in their opinion, deserves punishment.
“Prosecutors do not convict if there is evidence supporting entrapment, or if the person did not at least take one substantial step towards committing the crime,” Laura Harmon, senior deputy prosecuting attorney for King County, testified, “which is typically going to the location of where the child was with the stated intention of sexually abusing them.”
According to a 2023 study, it’s unclear whether the net nanny stings effectively reduce or deter crime due to limited research. The state analysis included 299 arrests between 2015 and 2022.
Roughly 96% of those arrests resulted from two scenarios: the first, accounting for 57%, saw officers pose as minors on a dating website or online forum, while the second, accounting for 39%, had them pose as a “parent seeking adults to engage in sexual activity with their children.”
The state then compared individuals arrested as a result of those undercover operations to others convicted around the same time for similar crimes but not through Net Nanny.
“Individuals in both groups exhibit similar demographic characteristics and criminal history,” according to the study. “On average, across these specific measures, individuals convicted through Net Nanny resemble people convicted of sexual crimes against minors who were arrested via traditional police tactics.”
Survivors of child predators also testified in support of reestablishing the board, with one noting that adults who report later in life often have their cases backlogged. She said annual reports could provide evidence-based recommendations leading to potentially more effective outcomes.
On Thursday, the Senate Law & Justice Committee voted to pass SB 5282 out of committee; however, it has not taken further action on SB 5312. If approved, SB 5282 would cost roughly $105,000 for each biennium, with that funding coming from the state general fund.
“We focus on those who show up. The fact that these offenses are not committed against a real child is solely due to our diligence and should not be credited to a predator,” James McMahan, policy director for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, testified. “In fact, their actions are all based on their desire and their belief and their intent to cause sexual harm.”
