Stalking Facts and Information

10 Things You Need to Know About Stalking

1. Stalking is a crime.
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.

2. Many people are stalked.
1 in 12 twelve women and 1 in 45 men will be stalked in their lifetimes. 1.4 million people are stalked every year in the United States.

3. Stalking can be very dangerous.
76 percent of women killed by their intimate partners were stalked by these partners before they were killed. All stalkers should be considered unpredictable and very dangerous.

4. Stalking is harmful and intrusive.
Stalking victims often lose time from work or never return to work, and some even relocate to regain a sense of safety. Many suffer from anxiety, insomnia, and severe depression as a result of being stalked.

5. Anyone can be stalked— not just celebrities.
The vast majority of stalking victims are ordinary people. Furthermore, most stalkers are not strangers, but are known by their victim.

6. Stalking can occur during a relationship, after a relationship, or in the absence of a relationship.
Stalking often begins during a relationship. Stalkers may keep the victim under surveillance or threaten her or him. Others begin stalking after the victim has ended the relationship, and the stalker feels desperate to maintain or regain control. Still others become fixated on a victim without ever having had any relationship with the person. All forms of stalking are unpredictable, and all should be considered dangerous.

7. Technology can be used to stalk.
Although newly-developed technology enhances our lives, it can also empower criminals. Cell phones, computers, and surveillance equipment are just some of the technologies stalkers now use.

8. An effective response to stalking includes the entire community.
Police, prosecutors, advocates, educators, reporters, neighbors … everyone can and should play a part in stopping stalking. Working together, we can make victims safer.

9. You can make a difference.
Visit www.ncvc.org/src to learn more about stalking and how to fight it.

10. Help is available.
If you or someone you know is being stalked, call 1-800-FYI-CALL for assistance.000 M Street, NW Suite 480, Washington, DC 20036, Tel. 202-467-8700, 1-800-FYI-CALL / TTY: 1-800-211-7996, www.ncvc.org,

All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2002 by the National Center for Victims of Crime. This information may be freely distributed, provided that it is distributed free of charge, in its entirety and includes this copyright notice.

If Your Or Someone You Know Is Being Stalked

If You Are Stalked
These are common reactions to being stalked. You are not to blame for a stalker’s behavior. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. These are common reactions to being stalked. Stalking is a crime.

These are common reactions to being stalked. You might:

• Feel fear of what the stalker will do.
• Feel vulnerable, unsafe, and not know who to trust.
• Feel nervous, irritable, impatient, or on edge.
• Feel depressed, hopeless, overwhelmed, tearful, or angry.
• Feel stressed, including having trouble concentrating, sleeping, or remembering things.
• Have eating problems, such as appetite loss, forgetting to eat, or overeating.
• Have flashbacks, disturbing thoughts, feelings, or memories.
• Feel confused, frustrated, or isolated because other people don’t understand why you are afraid.

If Someone You Know is Being Stalked, You Can Help
Listen. Show support. Don’t blame the victim for the crime. Remember that every situation is different, and allow the person being stalked to make choices about how to handle it. Find someone you can talk to about the situation. Take steps to ensure your own safety. For more ideas on how you can help, call 1-800-FYI-CALL.
Stalking is unpredictable and dangerous. No two stalking situations are alike. There are no guarantees that what works for one person will work for another, yet you can take steps to increase your safety.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

Trust your instincts. Don’t downplay the danger. If you feel you are unsafe, you probably are. Take threats seriously. Danger generally is higher when the stalker talks about suicide or murder, or when a victim tries to leave or end the relationship.

Contact a crisis hotline, victim services agency, or a domestic violence or rape crisis program. They can help you devise a safety plan, give you information about local laws, refer you to other services, and weigh options such as seeking a protection order. Develop a safety plan, including 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. Tell people how they can help you.

Don’t communicate with the stalker or respond to attempts to contact you. Keep evidence of the stalking. When the stalker follows you or contacts you, write down the time, date, and place. Keep e-mails, phone messages, letters, or notes. Photograph anything of yours the stalker damages and any injuries the stalker causes.

Ask witnesses to write down what they saw. Contact the police. Every state has stalking laws. The stalker may also have broken other laws by doing things like assaulting you or stealing or destroying your property. Consider getting a court order that tells the stalker to stay away from you.

Tell family, friends, roommates, 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. Stalking is a series of actions that make you feel afraid or in danger. Stalking is serious, often violent, and can
escalate over time.

A stalker can be someone you know well or not at all. Most have dated or been involved with the people they stalk. About 75 percent of stalking cases are men stalking women, but men do stalk men, women do stalk women, and women do stalk men.

All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2002 by the National Center for Victims of Crime. This information may be freely distributed, provided that it is distributed free of charge, in its entirety and includes this copyright notice.

Some Things Stalkers Do

• Follow you and show up wherever you are.

• Repeatedly call you, including hang-ups.

• Damage your home, car, or other property.

• Send unwanted gifts, letters, cards, or e-mails.

• Monitor your phone calls or computer use.

• Use technology, like hidden cameras or global positioning systems, to track where you go.

• Drive by or hang out at your home, school, or work.

• Threaten to hurt you, your family, friends, or pets.

• Find out about you by using public records or on-line search services, hiring investigators, going through your garbage, or contacting friends, family, neighbors, or co-workers.

• Other actions that control, track, or frighten you.