SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) — A organization stating they are successfully removing child predators from the communities in the Ozark region is now justifying their actions.
An unnamed member of Operation Soap stated, “For each apprehension, we make sure to collaborate with law enforcement and refrain from administering our own form of justice.”
You might have come across their posts or heard about them as Operation Soap. Due to their efforts in trying to apprehend alleged sexual predators, we're withholding their identities.
"Law enforcement and federal agencies can only do so much due to their constraints. Often, it comes down to staffing; they lack the funds to hire enough personnel. It seemed like an opportunity for us to step in and take over some of those tasks," he stated.
Members of the group pretend to be minors to lure and catch individuals online who intend to form inappropriate relationships.
"We cannot begin anything; we cannot instigate anything. Everything comes to us instead. We prolong these situations and construct our cases against those involved. There are certain organizations we collaborate with, and once we gather the evidence, we pass it along to them. Our cooperation includes assisting with arrests—where they'll happen, when they're scheduled—and then proceeding accordingly," he stated.
Although their actions aren't against the law, some people have raised questions about their intentions.
We inquired, "Are you all just doing this for clicks?"
“No way,” he stated. "Even if each of our videos or live streams only garnered 50 views, we would continue uploading them just as usual. The core idea behind what we do is to reach as wide an audience as possible with information about these predators, ensuring that anyone who spots them in public will understand that this individual could pose a danger and should therefore avoid interaction. Even without cameras recording us, we'd keep up with the exact same activities."
It is claimed that the funds raised go toward their initiatives.
We maintain complete transparency regarding each contribution within our entire organization," he stated. "Our members are aware of our financial status at all times. Whenever we decide to allocate funds for a purchase, we submit it to a group vote. These resources are never used for acquiring luxury items like new vehicles or expensive attire. The money is consistently directed toward initiatives that foster significant change, enhance our organizational capabilities, or improve our efforts here.
The team believes that many positive outcomes have resulted from their efforts.
"We've encountered specific instances where we apprehended someone who had children with another person. In these situations, the mother used our evidence in court proceedings and was awarded full custody of her child. This has happened twice," he explained.
They claim they will keep doing their share to enhance community safety.
"It's completely unacceptable. They are at the bottom of the barrel. This is precisely why we take action. Ultimately, if we're not the ones apprehending these individuals, some genuine children will have to face the consequences," he stated.
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