It works very similar to how things were done on the program "To Catch a Predator," which was hosted by Chris Hansen on Dateline NBC. Anyway, the organization has a decoy that goes online and sets up a profile on dating websites (Grindr, Scout, etc) pretending to be a child. The decoy never initiates contact with the predator, the predator does. Chats take place (sometimes for months) and eventually the predator asks to meet. So, a date and time to meet is set up, and the aforementioned student shows up to meet the predator instead of a child. During the ambush, the sting operation video tapes the interaction. The predator is told that the purpose of the recording is to prove that there was no violence during the interaction. Of course, we all know that they also film to get the predator to admit to a felony. So, a conversation takes place regarding why the predator is doing this. If the predator is interested in getting help, he/she gets referrals to therapists from the sting operation.
This is not for me. I am already a doctor. I certainly would not want to get involved in something like this. For safety reasons, I suggested that he stop doing this.
Aside from offering your wise counsel, there isn't much you can do. You might want to share this thread with your friend.
Tell him that he'd be DOA at my med school and judging from the responses from others here, many others as well.
hopefully nobody that dumb winds up in EM.
TBH, it sounds like he found his calling, and it's not medicine.
That's what I thought too. But, he feels he is ready to apply to med school. He graduates with a high GPA in Biology this fall and has done well on the MCAT exam. I know he works as a medical assistant and has volunteered in the hospital. Yet, he is sooo passionate about getting these perverts off the streets. I don't think he realizes that he won't have time for this once he starts med school.TBH, it sounds like he found his calling, and it's not medicine.
Has he considered applying to the police academy? Or law school?
I hear you, and I'm not judging. I'm just taking the temperature of the room, and it sounds like the adcoms, representing a very staid, conservative profession, are not going to be comfortable bringing him into their family.
It's not defamation of character if the information is true and not portrayed in a misleading way regardless of any criminal case, but you're right that any idiot with the filing fee or a court approved fee waiver can file a frivolous lawsuit. I hadn't heard about the suicide, but looking into it, it appears that it went far beyond what is normal for the show. The decedent never appeared at the sting operation, but the camera crew showed up at his house anyway while authorities were conducting part of an investigation. There is a lot more plausible deniability of wrong doing for a potential plaintiff. It is hard to deny you made statements that are memorialized in writing with instructions to meet that were only known to the perv and those conducting the sting, but I'm getting off topic. We can all agree that it is not a wise expenditure of time for a member of the general public and is a great way to be murdered or assaulted.
He'd probably enjoy being a prosecutor.TBH, it sounds like he found his calling, and it's not medicine.
Has he considered applying to the police academy? Or law school?
I think he was just pointing out all of the issues that surrounded the show, and that was with the backing of a major media company, while warning of the recklessness of a random pre-med with a good heart emulating it.
Great....he wants to be Batman.
Not so much. My takeaway from OP's posts are that the person's activity is out in the open, so that will not be possible if anyone does any checking at all!
What I mean is that the applicant is not obligated to list everything they do on the application.
This begs the question: why is he trying to spend the better part of the next decade becoming a doctor instead of pursuing a career in law enforcement, social work, or policy to work on this issue in an ethical and legal way with an appropriate skill set? This candidate poses so many problems for an adcom that I doubt one would trust this candidate to follow institutional and legal guidelines for patient care but rather take matters into their own hands. Medical doctors are mandated reporters - we do not investigate, draw conclusions, or hold other accountable.
What do you mean by "changing careers"? The consensus is he is not going to be a doctor, so, what exactly is his career? Unpaid vigilante? Does he make enough on YouTube to live?
he sounds like an idiot
I meant working toward a career.What do you mean by "changing careers"? The consensus is he is not going to be a doctor, so, what exactly is his career? Unpaid vigilante? Does he make enough on YouTube to live?
I know, but you seem to be implying that he has no interest in changing from medicine (as opposed to vigilantism), and I was jokingly pointing out that the consensus among the adcoms is that he will be unadmittable with his notoriety, so he really needed to open himself up to new possibilities, because MD is probably not in his future.
two words: live. leak.
Oh definitely. It's still bad even though he has hidden security and lawyers working for his company; No matter what, these groups don't have the training and experience that cops have. And law enforcement officers need specialized training on top of police recruit school and regular field training just to do this. These vigilantes are often told that they don't have probable cause and that this is just a very dangerous movement. But, the more predators that get arrested and convicted because of their work, the more encouraged they get to continue.
