The following press release from Mayor Bret Baldwin was issued on Friday, November 10th at 5:45 p.m. and was read by the Mayor at the Special Council Meeting held Saturday afternoon at City Hall.

I, Mayor Bret Baldwin, issue the following information regarding the Dateline NBC / Perverted Justice sting in Murphy, Texas, to clarify my stance on the issues and provide important information to the media and residents of Murphy. 

There has been a great deal of misinformation promoted throughout the media that needs to be clarified.  It has been stated that I do not want sting operations. Murphy residents are obviously against sexual predators, and we want them brought to justice.  I am happy that our Police Department has taken a progressive and aggressive stance toward this serious issue.  That being said, I am very much against the sting that occurred in Murphy last week. 

From the information I have reviewed, the sting was not necessary to catch these predators.  All of them could have been apprehended without being lured to Murphy by simply issuing a warrant based on the incriminating evidence obtained by Perverted Justice and having it served in the local jurisdiction of each of the offenders.  This would have been a safer alternative for our community, and it is a process that has been used many times to apprehend predators throughout Texas.
 
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