That sting was run back in May by Millersville Assistant Police Chief Shawn Taylor and a colorful cast of characters he assembled for the operation.
Among the revelations, the recordings show:
- Taylor did not involve other law enforcement agencies with more experience in such operations because of his unfounded conspiracy theories that prominent state officials are involved in child sex trafficking.
- Members of a private group posed online as minors — despite Millersville police being told by prosecutors that the sting would be legal only if sworn law enforcement officers were the ones doing the work.
- Shawn Taylor told one operative that investigators would be using “pre-signed search warrants,” which would likely be illegal, according to experts.
- Police arrested one suspect then, when he refused to talk to investigators, they turned him over to the private group for questioning.
- A Millersville detective boasted that the suspect was being taken to a jail where it was likely that he might not come out alive.
I think the implications are pretty clear when you read between the lines of painting your political enemies as pedophiles. It’s a very easy way to rile people up into a lynch mob. Here’s the fascist playbook on this: target a minority (LGBTQ in particular) as some kind of deviant or predator, legitimize vigilante violence against this group, extend that to the next group or anyone who tries to defend the first group. Rinse and repeat until you are able to consolidate power and successfully kill or imprison your political enemies with impunity.