Should police officers be able to pose as children in sting operations that try to nab child rapists and molesters? The standard answer is “hell yes,” but the Washington Supreme Court debated the question from a legal standpoint with regards to whether there needs to be an actual minor involved and not just a cop playing pretend. That court now has an answer. And it’s still a resounding “hell yes.”The case came before the court after Mitel Patel was convicted of second-degree rape of a child in 2004, after chatting with what he thought was a horny 13-year-old, but was actually a Spokane police detective.He showed up at the girl’s house and was quickly arrested.In a lawsuit, he argued that since there was never any 13-year-old girl in the first place that he wasn’t actually a pervert, just a gullible and lonely man. The judge disagreed.No word yet on whether the ruling extends to Chris Hansen and his Dateline NBC show “To Catch a Predator.”Here’s a mash up of some of his fine work.