Safety Spotlight: Know the dangers of stalking

Most people associate stalking with celebrities, yet celebrity stalking cases are relatively rare. More commonly, victims are ordinary people pursued by someone they know. Victims may not understand that stalking is a criminal act and what they don’t know about stalking may jeopardize their safety.  
   
Stalking is a crime. All 50 states have passed laws that make it illegal to engage in stalking — usually defined as a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause "a reasonable person" (in legal terms) to feel fear. Stalking behavior can range from annoying and intrusive to terrifying and dangerous, and can include unwanted correspondence (phone calls, letters, e-mail, text messages), waiting outside or inside, watching from afar, showing up uninvited and sending gifts. Two or more incidents of unwanted contact are sufficient to begin "a pattern" of stalking conduct.
   
Stalking is shockingly common and can escalate to violence. Three out of four women killed by their intimate partners were stalked by that partner before they were killed. More than 1 million women and 370,000 men are stalked every year in the United States. About one in 12 women and one in 45 men are stalked sometime in their lifetimes. According to a joint study by the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 13 percent of college women surveyed had been stalked since the school year began and 80 percent of victims knew their stalker.
   
Victims of stalking may feel unsafe and vulnerable, in constant fear of what their stalker might do. They may have trouble working, eating, or sleeping; some victims suffer disturbing flashbacks and nightmares. Victims may also feel isolated and frustrated because people do not understand why they are so afraid. They are caught — for two years, on average — in a threatening trap set by their stalkers. 
   
Stalkers are not easy to identify. They come from virtually every walk of life and every socioeconomic background. They have no single psychological profile, and the differences among stalkers make it hard to predict their behavior and find effective strategies to deter them. The vast majority are obsessed with their victims, intent on controlling them, and determined to use any available means to keep their victims in their power.
   
Particularly threatening to victims is stalkers' increasing use of high-tech devices to stalk. In recent years, many stalkers have used computer and communications technology to increase their power over their victims. They use global positioning systems (GPS), miniature video cameras, listening devices, and "spyware" (secretly installed software that records every keystroke) to track their victims and secretly invade their lives. Such devices allow stalkers to control their victims and make it difficult for law enforcement to hold them accountable.    

Fighting Back

To defeat stalkers, both victims and communities must take stalking seriously. Victims should trust their instincts and understand that stalkers are unpredictable and dangerous. Victims in imminent danger should call 911.

In Centre County, there are resources available to help raise awareness about stalking and provide victims with support and information. In the community, the Centre County Women's Resource Center can help victims devise a safety plan, learn about local laws, find services, and take additional steps, such as seeking a protective order. Similar services are available for Penn State students at the Center for Women Students and for all University employees through the Victim Resource Officer at Penn State University Police.
   
Victims should always report the stalking to law enforcement and carefully document evidence by writing down the times, dates and places they receive unwanted contact from the stalker. They should keep e-mails, phone messages, letters, notes and anything sent by the stalker. Victims also should alert friends, family members, roommates and co-workers about the stalking and enlist their support and help. Communities can support stalking victims by listening, showing support and never blaming the victim for the crime.    

Victims need to know that help is available. Locally, they can call the Centre County Women’s Resource Center at 234-5050, the Center for Women Students at 863-2027 or the Victim Resource Officer at University Police at 865-1864. Outside Centre County, they can call 1-800-FYI-CALL, the National Center for Victims of Crime Helpline, or visit http://www.ncvc.org for help with stalking or any other crime.

University Police and the Center for Women Students are sponsoring a Movie Night featuring "Alone with Her" at 7 p.m. on Jan. 29 in the HUB Auditorium. "Alone with Her" is about a quiet but disturbed young man who puts the life of a woman he's obsessed with under a virtual microscope in this psychological thriller. To view the movie trailer visit: http://www.alonewithherthemovie.com/