Surrey RCMP officer released after ‘Creep Catchers’ sting

SURREY (NEWS 1130) – Surrey Creep Catchers president Ryan LaForge says he is still waiting for a “thank you” from the RCMP after their latest sting video led to an officer’s arrest Friday.

The unnamed member has since been released on a list of conditions. In a brief statement, police say the officer remains suspended from duty, and charges have yet to be laid.

Mounties have acknowledged that the member might not have been caught without the Creep Catcher sting video, but they still don’t approve of the group’s actions. They have repeatedly scolded the group for acting as vigilantes, using public shaming tactics, and hindering the investigations of paid professionals.

“They still haven’t said, you know, ‘Creep Catchers, thank you for bringing this to our attention,’ or ‘without the efforts of the Creep Catchers we would not have exposed an internal pedophile,” LaForge says.

“Now they’re just trying to take the credit for our catch.”

While he says he isn’t sure if the sting has brought the group more legitimacy, it has certainly brought them more attention. LaForge figures he has gathered 1,500 Facebook friend requests in the span of 36 hours.

“People are seeing it for what it really is: a group that’s from the area that noticed a problem that’s not being addressed… and are just doing what they can to protect their own community.”

Following the sting, which was broadcast live on the group’s Facebook page, the target officer was falsely identified as Dan Johnson. RCMP say the real Dan Johnson and his family suffered a lot of stress because of this mistake.

LaForge says he is upset by the misinformation but the name was not posted or disseminated by official Creep Catchers channels.

“With any social media, you gotta remember it’s open for anyone to have their own opinion and put out whatever they want,” he says.

While the group has often been characterized as vigilantes, LaForge draws a comparison to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. He says Creep Catchers is not about public shaming, but about spreading public awareness about pedophiles.