STALKING

Stalking is a course of conduct directed at a specific person that places a reasonable person in fear for her or his safety. It is against the law in every state. Stalking across state lines or in federal territories is illegal under federal law.

Most stalking victims are former lovers, former spouses, and spouses; however, some stalking victims are co-workers, neighbors, celebrities, political figures, or even strangers. Many women who leave their abusive husbands or partners are ultimately stalked by these men.

1 in 12 women and 1 in 45 men will be stalked in their lifetimes. Stalking is a course of conduct directed at a specific person that places a reasonable person in fear for her or his safety. It is against the law in every state. Stalking across state lines or in federal territories is illegal under federal law.

If you think that you are being stalked, contact local law enforcement and keep track of the phone calls, damages, letters, and anything else they do and say. Do not communicate with the stalker or respond to any attempts to contact you.

While the specifics of each state statute varies, there are three primary elements included in most statutes:

• The behavior is threatening.
• The defendant has intent and/or apparent ability to carry out the threat (i.e. criminal intent).
• The crime involves a "course of conduct," usually defined as "a series of acts over a period of time, however short, evidencing a continuity of purpose." (NIJ, 1993)

In addition, the definition in a state's statute may include any of the following:

• A requirement that the victim has reasonable fear for his or her safety.
• A requirement that the stalking behavior continues after the victim reports it to law enforcement.

A prohibition against non-consensual communication.

• A specified number of acts and/or a specified period of time that may constitute a "course of conduct." (NIJ, 1993)

Many women who leave their abusive husbands or partners are ultimately stalked by these men.

Rapists, pedophiles, and voyeurs also engage in various forms of stalking. Prior to physically stalking a victim, these types of offenders often participate in psychological foreplay or sexual fantasies. In preparation for physically acting out, these offenders "psychologically stalk" their victims before they physically make contact.

Simple Obsessional:Sixty percent of the cases studied were described as simple obsessional cases. These were offenders who knew their victims. They were usually former spouses, lovers, or employers. The stalker had an emotional attachment to the victim. Eighty percent were male offenders in the age range of 30-40. Typically these types of stalkers begin stalking as a result of marital separation or perceived mistreatment by an intimate. Approximately 97% made prior threats and 30% carried out those threats.

Love Obsessional: Those classified as love obsessional were strangers to their victims. These cases represented 30% of the cases, and almost all (97%) were male offenders. The age range 30-40 when each began a campaign of harassment to make the victim aware of his presence. About 25% of these offenders made prior threats, but only three percent (one out of 31) carried them out. Unlike other categories, victims of love obsessional stalkers tended to be younger than the offender (ages 20-30).

Erotomania: Erotomania is a relatively rare, typically female phenomenon. Cases of erotomania involve offenders who believe that a public figure is in love with them. Cases of erotomania represent only eight percent of all cases in this study. Approximately 85% of the offenders are female, usually age 30-40. Prior threats were made in 40% of the cases. However, most of these offenders are letter writers (12%) who seldom confront the victim.

False Victimization Syndrome: The final classification identified by the Threat Management Unit is the rarest (two percent of all cases) among stalkers. These are persons with a conscious or subconscious desire to be placed in the victim's role. By insisting that someone is stalking him or her, the offender becomes the victim. There appears to be some similarity between this classification and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, in which the offender harms the victim, then seeks medical assistance for the victim (usually the child of the female offender) in order to draw attention to herself or himself.

• Telephone
• Computer (Internet/E-mail)
• Fax
• Letters
• Gifts
• Following (walking/transport)
• Going to the victim's home
• Going to the victim's place of employment
• Vandalism (such as tearing up the victim's garden, painting on the victim's property, etc)

1. Use a private post office box. Residential addresses of Post Office box holders are generally confidential. However, the U.S. Postal Service will release a residential address to any governmental agency, or to persons serving court papers. The Post Office only requires verification from an attorney that a case is pending. This information is easily counterfeited. Private companies, such as Mail Boxes Etc., are more strict and will require that the person making the request have an original copy of a subpoena. Use your private post office box address for all of your correspondence. Print it on your checks instead of your residential address. Instead of recording the address as "Box 123," use "Apartment 123."
   
   
2. File a change-of-address card with the U.S. Postal Service giving the private mail box address. Send personal letters to friends, relatives and businesses giving them the new private mailbox address. Give the true residential address only to your most trusted friends. Ask that they not store this address in rolodexes or address books which could be stolen.
   
   
3. Obtain an unpublished and unlisted phone number. The phone company lists names and numbers in directory assistance and publishes them in the phone book. Make sure you delete your information from both places. Do not print your phone number on your checks. Give out a work number when asked.
   
   
4. If your state has Caller ID, order Complete Blocking(called "Per Line" Blocking in some states.) This ensures that your phone number is not disclosed when you make calls from your home.
   
   
5. Avoid calling 800, 888, and 900 number services. Your phone number could be "captured" by a service called Automatic Number Identification. It will also appear on the called party's bill at the end of the month. If you do call 800 numbers, use a pay phone.
   
   
6. Have your name removed from any "reverse directories." The entries in these directories are in numerical order by phone number or by address. These books allow anyone who has just one piece of information, such as a phone number, to find where you live. Reverse directories are published by phone companies and direct marketers.
   
   
7. Let people know that information about you should be held in confidence. Tell your employer, co-workers, friends, family and neighbors of your situation. Alert them to be suspicious of people inquiring about your whereabouts or schedule.
   
   
8. Do not use your home address when you subscribe to magazines. In general, do not use your residential address for anything that is mailed or shipped to you.
   
   
9. Avoid using your middle initial.Middle initials are often used to differentiate people with common names. For example, someone searching public records or credit report files might find several people with the name Jane Doe. If you have a common name and want to blend in with the crowd, do not add a middle initial.
   
   
10. When conducting business with a government agency, only fill out the required pieces of information. Certain government agency records are public record. Anyone can access the information you disclose to the agency within that record. Public records such as County Assessor, County Recorder, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and business licenses are especially valuable finding tools. Ask the agency if it allows address information to be confidential in certain situations. If possible, use a Post Office box and do not provide your middle initial, phone number or your Social Security number. If you own property or a car, you may want to consider alternative forms of ownership, such as a trust. This would shield your personal address from the public record.
    
    
11. Put your Post Office box on your driver's license.Do not show your license to just anyone. Your license has a lot of valuable information to a stalker.
    
    
12. Do not put your name on the list of tenants on the front of your apartment building. Use a variation of your name that only your friends and family would recognize.
    
    
13. Be very protective of your Social Security Number.It is the key to much of your personal information. Do not pre-print your SSN on anything, including your checks. Only give it out if required to do so and ask why the requester needs it. The Social Security Administration may be willing to change your SSN. Contact the SSA for details.
    
    
14. Alert credit bureaus.Ask them to "flag" your record to avoid fraudulent access.
    
    
15. If you are having a problem with harassing phone calls, put a beep tone on your line so callers think you are taping your calls. Use an answering machine to screen your calls, and put a "bluff message" on your machine to warn callers of possible taping or monitoring. Be aware of the legal restrictions on taping conversations.
    
    
16. If you use electronic mail and other online computer services, change your email address if necessary. Do not enter any personal information into online directories.
    
    
17. Keep a log of every stalking incident, plus names, dates and times of your contacts with law enforcement and others. Save phone message tapes and items sent in the mail.
    
    
18. Consider getting professional counseling and/or seeking help from a victims support group. They can help you deal with fear, anxiety and depression associated with being stalked.
    
    
19. Make a police report and consider getting a restraining order if you have been physically threatened or feel that you are in danger. When filed with the court, a restraining order legally compels the harasser to stay away from you, or he/she can be arrested. Be aware that papers filed for a restraining order or police report may become public record. Put minimal amounts of information and only provide a post office box address. (NOTE: Some security experts warn that restraining orders sometimes lead to violence. Before obtaining a restraining order, consider your options carefully.)
    
    
20. And these final tips from someone who was stalked for over three years: For your own protection, carry pepper spray. Get a car phone and/or a beeper. Carry a Polaroid or video camera. Never verify anything, like your home address, over the phone.

AT HOME

• Change locks and add deadbolts.
• Install a wide angle peep hole in all primary doors.
• Trim the shrubbery near the house and keep the fuse box locked.
• Keep flashlights with working batteries.
• Install fire detectors, security alarms, and outside lights.
• Get a dog for added protection.
• Purchase rope ladders to be used to escape from second-story windows.
• Obtain a private, unlisted phone number.
• Identify all visitors before opening doors.
• Instruct the phone company to block incoming calls from certain numbers.
• Use an answering machine or Caller-ID when receiving phone calls to collect evidence of harassment, stalking, or protection order violations.
• Use Caller-ID blocking if it is necessary to call the stalker or someone who might intentionally or inadvertently reveal the victim's phone number to the stalker.
• Obtain a cellular phone which is preprogrammed to 911 or the number of a safe friend or relative, and keep it in an accessible hiding place.
• Never open an unusual package, box, or device found on the property, but instead call the police and ask them to examine it.
• Give a picture of the stalker to neighbors, if possible, and ask them to call the police if they see the stalker nearby.
• Keep a bag packed and hidden in a safe place in case there is a need for a quick escape (The bag should contain money for phone calls, transportation, and one month's expenses; clothing; diapers; court documents; passports; identification; birth certificates; school and medical records; necessary medications; credit cards; checkbooks; work permits; green cards; mortgage/lease payments; insurance papers; bank books; telephone/address books; car/house keys; and ownership documents for house and/or car.)
• Prepare an emergency evacuation plan and brief household members on the procedures.
• Know how to get to the local domestic violence shelter or the home of a safe friend or relative.

AT WORK

• Inform supervisors, human resources personnel, or employee counselors about the situation.
• Provide a picture of the stalker and a copy of any protection orders to security, superiors, and reception area staff.
• Ask co-workers to call the police immediately if the stalker appears.
• Request that all visitors and packages pass through central reception.
• Ask a receptionist or co-worker to screen calls.
• Save any voice mail and email messages received from the stalker.
• Ask about flexible or alternate work hours and relocation of work space to a more secure area.
• Request a parking space close to the building.
• Ask for an escort to the parking lot or to the bus.

IN COURT

• If the stalker is nearby, wait in a safe place such as next to a security guard or bailiff.
• Avoid sitting close to the stalker in the courtroom.
• Always make sure that other people are between the victim and the stalker.
• Avoid speaking directly to the stalker.
• Ask for an escort to and from court.
• If the stalker follows the victim, call the police or drive to the nearest police station and report the incident.

IN PUBLIC

• Travel in groups or with a friend, if possible.
• Have a protection order and emergency phone numbers on person at all times.
• Avoid walking or jogging alone at night.
• Always park in well-lit areas.
• Alter daily routines by changing transportation routes or timing (including picking up children from school.)
• Do not drive directly home if followed.
• Drive to a local police station, fire department, or busy shopping center if followed and honk the car horn to attract attention.