I recently welcomed Mike back into my studio at Floored Media for another long conversation, and like every time he comes in, it left my head spinning a bit.
Mike, who many people know as Douglass King Jr is the man behind Predator Poachers Long Island, a group that exposes online child predators and works directly with law enforcement to get them arrested. When he walked into the studio this time, he had already been awake for hours and, as it turned out, had just come from another arrest.
A Queens Arrest, Just Hours Earlier
Mike told me about a 31-year-old man from Richmond Hill, Queens, who believed he was arranging to meet a 13-year-old girl. Earlier in the week, the team tried to intercept him but couldn’t confirm exactly where he lived. The situation escalated when the man attempted to Uber the child to his apartment.
Instead, Mike and his team followed the Uber, confirmed the location, and later encountered the suspect at his apartment building. When confronted, the man allegedly tried to bribe them with a stack of cash, thinking they were police.
They made it clear they weren’t law enforcement, refused the money, and called the cops. Officers from the NYPD 106th Precinct arrived and made the arrest.
Hearing it laid out so casually was jarring. Mike described it as “cool” in the sense that everything worked the way it should, but the reality of what could have happened sat heavy in the room.
How Big This Has Become
The last time Mike was on the show was back in October. At that point, Predator Poachers had logged around 47 total catches. Since then, that number has jumped to more than 75, with roughly 30 on Long Island alone.
As we talked, he rattled off town after town across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Merrick. Levittown. East Meadow. Riverhead. Huntington. Deer Park. Northport. The list just kept going.
They’ve now worked cases in 13 states and Canada, with arrests in most of those locations. At one point, I joked that they needed a wall map with pins. The truth is, that map would be unsettling to look at.
How Predator Poachers Actually Operate
One thing I wanted Mike to address directly was the criticism I constantly see online. People accusing these groups of baiting, coercion, or entrapment.
Mike was clear. They create social media profiles that are obviously underage, then wait. They don’t target specific people. They don’t initiate sexual conversations. They don’t send explicit images or pose as police.
“The adults always start it,” he told me. “And they’re always the ones who take it too far.”
Their goal is not punishment or confrontation. It’s documentation. Preserve the evidence, record the intent, and hand everything over to law enforcement so it holds up in court.
That’s also why they avoid violence. Mike explained that when groups beat suspects or escalate physically, it can actually damage the case. A jury might sympathize with the wrong person.
Where These Guys Are Hiding Online
We also talked about platforms. While apps like Instagram and Facebook are common entry points, Mike said there are a few places parents should be especially concerned about.
He named Meet24, Kik, and Telegram as platforms where predators are often actively searching for minors.
“If your kid is on Telegram,” he said flatly, “they shouldn’t be.”
Losing YouTube and the Cost of Doing This Work
One of the more frustrating parts of our conversation was hearing what happened to their YouTube channel. Mike explained how they were approaching 50,000 subscribers and earning real money that funded their operations.
After posting a short video without police presence, YouTube issued a strike, then removed the entire channel. In the process, they lost over $25,000 in revenue.
That money wasn’t profit. It was travel, food, equipment, and survival.
Now, Predator Poachers Long Island relies on Locals, Rumble, Instagram, Facebook, X, and direct community support to keep going.
This isn’t a side project for them. This is the job.
Why Mike Started Doing This
I asked Mike why he got into this in the first place. His answer wasn’t dramatic.
Learning about large-scale abuse scandals years ago made something click for him. While nothing had happened to him personally, he knew people who weren’t as lucky. He wanted to do something tangible with the resources he had.
“I can’t stop everything,” he said. “But I can stop some of it.”
What Parents Can Do Right Now
Before we wrapped, I asked what advice he’d give parents.
His answer was simple and honestly refreshing.
Be present. Eat dinner with your kids. Know who they’re talking to online. Don’t be afraid to check in. Build their self-esteem so they recognize when something feels wrong.
“If kids feel confident and supported,” he said, “they’re a lot harder to manipulate.”
Final Thoughts
Every time I sit down with Mike, I walk away feeling two things at once. Grateful that people like him exist, and unsettled by how necessary his work is.
These conversations aren’t easy, but they’re important. And at Floored Media, that’s exactly the kind of dialogue I want happening in the studio.
Connect With PPLi Here:
Kick: https://kick.com/pplongisland
Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/PPLongIsland
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582391010316
Locals: https://predatorpoacherslongisland.locals.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pplongisland