Del the decoy
'Del Harvey' on being a Perverted-Justice volunteer
Dateline NBC
Del of Perverted-Justice at a guest appearance on MSNBC's "Abrams
Report."
Updated: 1:17 a.m. ET Feb. 4, 2006
How did you get involved with Perverted-Justice?
Del Harvey: A friend of mine sent me a link to the Perverted-Justice
Web site in December of 2003. I joined up and in February 2004, I was
made a contributor. Frag called me and asked me to be involved in the
first investigation with "Dateline." While we were there, I was
asked how I felt about becoming the decoy - the person who these men
actually saw. Later, I started helping out in our efforts in liasoning
with law enforcement, and it just snowballed from there.
In the investigations, you speak to these men on the telephone. You
play a young boy, sometimes a young girl. Sometimes these potential
predators even see you. How do you get these people to believe that
you're young, and male and female?
I can do the little girl or boy voice. I know it's not something
everybody can do -- it's a bizarre combination. I wear a hoodie if
it's cool enough outside, or I wear a loose t-shirt. I'm short and
skinny, and I can pull of anything I've needed to so far. I tend to
wear really baggy pants - males or females tend to wear that kind of
thing nowadays. I usually have a hat on or a hoodie up. -- All of them
have believed it.
How do you feel about being a decoy?
I never felt threatened by being one, and we always had security on
site. More than that, I think these guys are cowards. But a week after
one of these investigations, I still feel creeped out at the thought
that anywhere from 18 to 49 men (depending on how many showed up at the
house) thought that I was the child that they were there to have sex
with.
Do you think these men are expecting to be exposed?
They're not only not expecting a cop, they also aren't expecting
one in the form of a 115-lbs. female.
Of all the groups you could volunteer with, what motivated you to help
out with Perverted-Justice?
Well, one of the things that motivated me happened before I was
involved with Perverted-Justice. spent a summer working at a level four
psychiatric institution, a mental health state institution. I was
working with the girl's unit, girls aged 11 to 17. Easily 85 percent,
if not more, of them had been molested or abused as children. So many
of their issues were rooted in that. Seeing something like that
motivated me. I had already worked with children as a lifeguard, as a
youth advocate, but that drove me to push further. Perverted-Justice
looked like a great opportunity.
So how long do you see yourself doing this type of work?
There is no doubt in my mind that I'll be with Perverted-Justice for
as long as it exists.
How do you feel about criticism that you guys are working outside of
proper channels?
We were called "vigilantes," and even with all these arrests, we
still are. We work with law-enforcement whenever possible. We're not
a group of untrained civilians. We have training, and we've also been
requested to train police in several different states.
I've never worked with a law enforcement group that's thought
poorly of us. They see how good we are. I think they can see that
we're motivated by nothing other than the desire to help.
Does it ever bother you to be chatting with potential predators? Does
it take a psychological toll at some point?
It's certainly something that would take a toll on anybody. The
people you're talking to aren't exactly good people, but we have
strict rules and regulations within our group - if you're chatting
with someone particularly nasty, we have certified counselors who
you're welcome to talk to at any time. You can take a break, and
there's no rule or pressure to keep going.
"Del Harvey" is her Perverted-Justice alias. She opts to keep her
real name private for security reasons.
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