Police Say a Popular Officer Sought Boys in Chat Rooms" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/nyregion/03officer.html">attempting to engage minors in sexual exchanges over the Internet." And what's more, he was a youth officer, working with troubled youngsters in Queens." />

Busting a Cop at the Local Starbucks

From the creepy news division: An NYPD officer was arrested for "attempting to engage minors in sexual exchanges over the Internet." And what's more, he was a youth officer, working with troubled youngsters in Queens. Officer Michael Costello's Internet activities were discovered when police were doing a routine investigation in Internet criminal activity; then Internal Affairs got involved. Officer Costello had been trolling around AOL chatrooms, so the police devised a sting to lure him to a Queens Boulevard Starbucks (not just for coffee anymore!) by saying a 14 year-old boy would meet him there. There, Officer Costello was arrested - and found with "lubricant and condoms" in his possession. As to be expected, people in the community were shocked, saying Officer Costello had been a great guy.

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