Stalking

Signs of Stalking

• Repeated calling, including hang-ups.
• Following and frequently showing up at your location.
• Leaving unwanted, strange, or potentially threatening items, gifts, letters, texts, or emails.
• Damaging your home, car, or other property.
• Monitoring your phone or computer use.
• Using technology such as hidden cameras or GPS to track your location.
• Threats to hurt you, your family, friends, or pets.
• Using public records or on-line search services, hiring investigators, going through garbage, or contacting family, friends, or coworkers to check in on you.
• Sneaking into your home or car and doing things that incite fear and inform you that they have been there

Steps to Increase Personal Safety

Understand the severity of stalking.

A stalker can be someone you know well or not at all. Most have dated or been involved with the people they stalk. Most stalking cases involve men stalking women, but anyone may stalk another person

Devise a safety plan.

This includes things like changing your routine, arranging a place to stay, and having a friend or relative go places with you. Also, decide in advance what to do if the stalker shows up at your home, work, school, or somewhere else. Local and campus resources are available to assist with developing a safety plan.

Let people know how they can help you.

Every state has stalking laws. The stalker may have broken other laws by doing things like assaulting you or stealing or destroying your property or terroristic threatening behavior. Consider getting a court order that tells the stalker to stay away from you. Tell family, friends, roommates, neighbors, and co-workers about the stalking and seek their support. Tell security staff at your job or school. Ask them to help watch out for your safety.

Avoid responding

If the stalker contacts you, do not respond. Keep any evidence of the stalking. If you are followed or contacted, write down the time, date, and place. Keep all messages, letters, or voicemails. Document any damage to property. If there are witnesses, ask them to document what they saw. Keep a backup copy of all documentation in a cloud-based format so if your phone goes missing or computer breaks, you still have access to it.

Remeber

Stalking is unpredictable and dangerous. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.Trust your instincts and take threats seriously. If you feel that you are unsafe, you probably are. Danger is typically higher when the stalker talks about suicide or murder, or when a victim tries to leave or end the relationship.

Common Reactions to Being Stalked

Most often, “fear” is the single most reaction used to define the experience of being stalked. However, there are many other reactions that should be considered such as feelings of anxiousness, nervousness, isolation, distress, and depression.

It is important to take care of one’s emotional safety as well as physical safety. Talking with a victim advocate about available resources can be helpful. Seeking help from a mental health counselor may also be helpful.

Reporting of Stalking

Reporting behavior that matches with patterns of stalking is important. A report can be made to law enforcement to assist with evidence gathering and if reported early, it may reduce ongoing stalking, as well as places law enforcement on alert to the unwelcomed behavior. All 50 states have laws against stalking.

When reporting stalking behavior, the more documentation, the better. Save any notes, recordings of voice messages, screenshots, gifts, items, photos, or any other documentation that provides evidence of the pattern of behavior. Keep a copy of all written/digital documentation in a cloud-based platform. Emailing it to yourself or to an email account you create for yourself specifically for emailing such evidence to yourself is an easy way to keep documentation.

It is also important to document sightings, witnesses, and events that are part of the pattern of behavior. Remember to record the time, date, location, any witnesses, behaviors, and how you felt. Emailing yourself is a convenient way to keep a digital record.

Regardless of how you choose to document, it is important to keep all documentation in a safe and secure location that is accessible to you.