In those cases and others like them, "detectives weren't posting ads of children, but ads of adults looking for other adults. They would then later introduce a child to the conversation." Detectives were also "reaching out to law-abiding men posting law-abiding ads on legal dating sites," as well as Facebook and Twitter, "seeking other adults."

These detectives behaved unethically and shamefully.

Predictably, many of the men arrested in these cases never went to trial because district attorneys didn't want to prosecute cases grounded in such dubious police tactics. If this approach 1) targeted men who almost certainly represented no actual threat to minors 2) in a way that made successful prosecutions relatively unlikely, why were police doing this? One incentive was the availability of federal funds earmarked for sex predator stings. Another factor: asset forfeiture, which allows police to seize the property of people who are arrested even if they aren't convicted.

"Florida's Contraband Forfeiture Act made it easy for agencies to seize property as their own from anyone accused of committing a felony—even if charges are ultimately never filed," 10 News reports. "Sex stings have become especially rich sources for seizures, since almost every man arrested is accused of traveling to seduce, solicit, or entice a child to commit a sexual act … even though no real children are ever involved ... However, the accusations are felonies, meaning law enforcement can seize suspect's vehicles, making it extremely difficult for them to ever get them back without paying thousands of dollars—or more—in cash to the arresting agency."

In essence, the police wasted time pursing non-threats to public safety in part to enrich themselves at the expense of people like a 24-year-old man arrested in a January sting, who "had to pay $10,000 cash to get his 2014 Lexus returned ... though all felony charges were later dropped in his case, he will not get the money back for either the negotiated settlement or the fees he paid an attorney to handle the vehicle case." This is yet another illustration of the need for asset forfeiture reform.

The tactic is legalized theft.

Journalist Noah Pransky and his colleagues at 10 News began looking into these stings in part because, as sheriffs in Florida kept trotting out men arrested for sex crimes, they wondered, How could these guys be so dumb as to keep falling for the same tricks that have been on TV for 10 years now? "We soon realized," Pransky told me, "that they're not falling for the same tricks. The sheriffs changed the rules."

What 10 News still doesn't know is just how far police went to deceive men, and how many men on totally legal adult dating sites they interacted with in their sting operation—we've only heard the stories of men who were ultimately arrested, not the stories of never-arrested men who were seeking adult partners on totally legitimate adult dating sites only to be strung along by detectives who flirted as if they were interested adults, then announced at a later time that they were underage. One wonders how much discomfort they caused lonely innocents with these stings. The news team has sought records from all stings in hopes of telling the parts of the story that are still hidden, but law enforcement has refused to turn over the documents they're seeking, an apparent violation of open records laws. Perhaps the FBI should make Florida sheriffs and detectives the targets of a sting.