Quotes

Why don't you take a seat over there?

I am Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC, and we are doing a story on adults meeting young teens online for sex.

[on his inspiration for going into journalism]

When I was 14 years old, Jimmy Hoffa was kidnapped from a restaurant, the Red Fox, that was about 1 and 1/2 miles up the street from where I lived. I used to ride my bike up there and the FBI was up there and it was a crime scene and there were local police and local news reporters; I got bit by the bug watching that.

[on how the concept of To Catch a Predator originated]

It was my idea. I was on the phone talking to a friend of mine who was a reporter in Detroit, Kevin Dietz. He was telling me about this online watchdog group called Perverted Justice and I was thinking, 'Wow, if we could combine their ability to work as decoys in chat rooms and our ability to wire a house with hidden cameras and microphones, it could be pretty compelling.' A lot of other smart people weighed in and figured out ways to improve the concept and we went out and shot the first one in Long Island.