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Board Membership and Committees Programs and Services for
Court Involved Youth
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F Are You Being Stalked? Tips For Protection
Stalking refers to harassing or threatening behavior that is engaged in repeatedly. Such harassment can be either physical stalking or cyber stalking. Either type of action may or may not be accompanied by a credible threat of serious harm. But both types can cause psychological damage, and each can potentially lead to an assault or even murder. All states have anti-stalking laws, but the legal definitions vary. Some state laws require that the perpetrator, to qualify as a stalker, make a credible threat of violence against the victim. Others require only that the stalker’s conduct constitute an implied threat. The model anti-stalking code developed by the National Institute of Justice doesn’t require stalkers to make a credible threat, but it does require victims to feel a high level of fear. www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/assist/nvaa/supp/t-ch21-2.htm For more information on violence in relationships contact: H.O.P.E. of Ogle County
The landmark “Stalking in America” study by U.S. Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control concluded that eight percent of women and two percent of men have been stalked at some point in their lives. Researchers estimated that about one million women and 400,000 men are stalked each year in the United States. (“Stalking in America,” www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles/169592.txt. See also “Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: >From the National Violence Against Women Survey,” www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/172837.pdf, both released in 1998.) Most victims know their stalker. Women are significantly more likely to be stalked by an intimate partner — a current or former spouse, a co-habiting partner, or a date. Only 23 percent of stalkers identified by female victims were strangers. Currently or formerly battered women have the greatest risk of being stalked. Young adults are the primary targets. Seventy-four percent of victims are 18-39 years old when the stalking started. About 87 percent of the stalkers were men. Overt threats were made against 45 percent of victims. In most cases, stalking episodes lasted one year or less. About one-third of victims report they have sought psychological treatment, and one-fifth lost time from work. Thirteen percent of female victims and nine percent of male victims report that their stalkers were criminally prosecuted. Stalking first received widespread public focus in 1980 with the murder of John Lennon, and again in 1981 with John Hinckley Jr.’s assassination attempt on President Reagan. But it was not until the 1989 death of Rebecca Schaeffer, a rising young actress killed by an obsessed fan who’d stalked her for two years, that laws were enacted. Such high-profile cases raised the public's awareness of this crime. But the majority of stalking victims are ordinary people, mostly women, who are being pursued and threatened by someone with whom they have had a prior relationship. For more information on violence in relationships contact: H.O.P.E. of Ogle County
For more information on violence in relationships contact: H.O.P.E. of Ogle County
Currently, there are few federal laws that deal directly with stalking.
For more information on violence in relationships contact: H.O.P.E. of Ogle County
These tips will help you guard your
personal information and lessen the chance that it will get into the hands of a
stalker or harasser. However, some of these tips are extreme and should only be
used if you are indeed being stalked. Harassment can take many forms, so this
information may not be appropriate in every situation and may not resolve
serious stalking problems. 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 government 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 generally stricter and will require that the person making the request have
an original copy of a subpoena. 2. Do not file a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service. Send personal letters to friends, relatives and businesses giving them the new private mailbox address. Give true residential address only to the most trusted friends. Ask that they do not store this address in rolodexes or address books that could be stolen. 3. Sign up for your state's address confidentiality program . Nearly half the states offer a no-cost mail-forwarding program that enables victims of domestic violence and stalking to protect their residential address. A few states limit the program to just the driver’s license or solely voter records. For a list, visit: www.sos.state.ok.us/acp/confidentiality_programs.htm 4. Obtain an unpublished and unlisted phone number. The phone company lists names and numbers in directory assistance (411) 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 or use an alternate number such as a voice mail number when asked – that is, a message-only number that is used solely for receiving recorded messages from callers. 5. If your state has Caller ID, order Complete Blocking (called "Per Line" Blocking in other states). This ensures that your phone number is not disclosed when you make calls from your home. (See PRC Fact Sheet 19 on Caller ID, www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs19-cid.htm .) 6. Avoid calling toll-free 800, 866, 888, 877 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 toll-free 800 numbers, use a pay phone. 7. 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. Contact the major directories and request that you be removed from their listings:
8. 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. If you have a photograph or description of the stalker and vehicle, show a photo or describe the person to your neighbors, co-workers, friends, family and neighbors. 9. Do not use your home address when you subscribe to magazines. In general, don't use your residential address for anything that is mailed or shipped to you. 9a. Do not accept packages at work or home unless they were personally ordered by you. 10. 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. In fact, consider using your first initial and last name only in as many situations as you can. 11. When conducting business with a government agency,only fill in the required pieces of information. Certain government agency records are public. Anyone can access the information you disclose to the agency within that record. Public records such as those held by a county assessor, county recorder, registrar of voters, or state motor vehicles department (DMV) are especially valuable to a stalker, as are business licenses. 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. (For more information on government records and privacy, see PRC Fact Sheet 11, www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs11-pub.htm .) 12. Put your post office box on your driver's license. Don't show your license to just anyone. Your license has a lot of valuable information to a stalker. 13. Don't 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. 14. Be very protective of your Social Security number.. It is the key to much of your personal information. Don't pre-print the SSN on anything such as 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. (See PRC Fact Sheet 10 on SSNs, www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs10-ssn.htm .) 15. Alert the three credit bureaus--Experian, Equifax and Trans Union. Put a fraud alert on your credit reports to avoid fraudulent access. (See PRC Fact Sheet 17a on identity theft for information on establishing fraud alerts, www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs17a.htm .) 16. 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 of conversations. 17. If you are a victim of
cyber stalking, act promptly and firmly to defuse the situation. Take
potential threats seriously. Very clearly tell that person to stop, saying
something like, “Do not contact me in any way in the future.” Sometimes it is
helpful to copy your “stop” message to the abuse department of the harasser’s
Internet service provider. (If you have trouble determining that ISP, contact
www.Cyberangels.org or
www.Haltabuse.org .) 18. Keep a log of every stalking incident. Building such a paper trail can make a successful prosecution more likely. Examples of evidence that may help build a case include: Caller ID records, logs of phone calls, copies of threatening letters, items sent to you in the mail, pictures of injuries, or even photos of the stalker outside your home. Plus, maintain a list of names, dates and times of your contacts with law enforcement. 19. 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. 20. Make a police report. Consider
getting a restraining order if you have been physically threatened or feel
that you are in danger. Study your state’s stalking law to gain a clear
understanding of what conduct constitutes an offense under the statute. You
should contact an attorney or legal aid office if a restraining order becomes
necessary. For more information on violence in relationships contact: H.O.P.E. of Ogle County
For More Information
Cyber-stalking Resources:
Other web sites:
For more information on violence in relationships contact: H.O.P.E. of Ogle County
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