National Stalking Awareness Month:Training event increases safety, response knowledge Published Jan. 28, 2015 By Amber Baillie U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Every year in the U.S, 7.5 million people 18 and older are victimized by a stalker, according to statistics given during a Jan. 22 presentation hosted by the Academy's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. More than 20 representatives from the Academy and local community attended the cross-organizational training at the Falcon Club to enhance their recognition and ability to respond to stalking. Stalking is commonly defined as a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. "Stalking will often intersect with other types of interpersonal violence such as sexual assault and domestic and dating violence," said Stalking Resource Center director Michelle Garcia, from the National Center for Victims of Crime. "It often leads to other crimes or more serious harm, so we have an opportunity in many cases, if we identify the stalking behavior early, to intervene and prevent other types of crimes from occurring." According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's 2011 survey on sexual violence, intimate partner violence and stalking in the U.S., four percent of women and two percent of men are stalked each year. "We know a lot of times with sexual assault it's about power and control," Garcia said. "There are a lot of different motivations for stalking, which presents a challenge. We know from research, the rates within educational environments such as at colleges and universities are higher than the general population." The first U.S. stalking statute was passed in 1990; in 2007 it became a part of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. "Our laws across the board evolve as our understanding of stalking evolves," Garcia said. "The fear piece is really critical. From a legal perspective, the fear element tends to be what distinguishes stalking from other crimes such as harassment. It's also one of the challenging elements because fear is subjective. We're not all afraid of the same things. When we look at stalking, context is critical. We have to put ourselves in that person's shoes and understand what those behaviors mean to them." Most behaviors that make up stalking aren't criminal, Garcia said. "It's when they become part of that pattern or course of conduct when we can recognize it as stalking," she said. "We know that offenders will pursue their victims frequently, sometimes weekly or daily. They might text them a thousand times a day, show up at the victim's workplace, call repeatedly or send flowers. They don't stop. They don't stop when the victim says stop, they don't stop when law enforcement says stop and they don't stop when the courts say stop." Most victims and offenders know each other in some capacity, Garcia said. "When we look at relationships, what we find is that most frequently it is a current or former intimate partner," she said. "It can be an acquaintance, a classmate, co-worker, family member or the person you see at the coffee shop every morning." Intimate-partner stalkers are the most dangerous kind, Garcia said. "These offenders are more likely to approach the victim and can be more insulting and interfering. 'Who in your life knows what you're afraid of?' and 'Who in your life knows how to upset you?' Your intimate partner." Today, it's extremely rare to have a stalking case that doesn't involve some form of technology, Garcia said. "We need to have an understanding of how offenders are using and misusing these technologies," she said. "For example, we'll see offenders buy a throw-away phone, set it to auto answer and silent mode, and then hide it in a victim's car or home. What they've created is a simple listening device. They can then call the phone, it will automatically pick up and they can hear everything that's going on near the phone." Garcia said offenders manipulate the GPS feature on cell phones. They will also use spoof apps and spyware to contact a victim or to tap into their cell phone or computer. "Every cell phone has GPS," she said. "It's extremely rare for one not to, especially bought after 2005. Most of our cell phones are tracking us. IPhones do by default. There are all sorts of apps you can install to find people. Photos you take on your phone are often (geotagged), embedded with data that include the date and time and GPS coordinates of where the picture was taken. You can strip data off the photo by Googling how to remove it. Facebook automatically strips the data from photos you share on the site." Identity theft is becoming more common in stalking cases, Garcia said. "Most victim and offenders know each other," she said. "If you're in relationship with someone, they might have access to your financial accounts or at least the information to access your accounts." Technology is great evidence and can build stalking cases, Garcia said. "It's so important to document a stalker," she said. "Take screen shots of text messages and your call log. Victims can also get detailed copies of their own phone bills." Garcia said it's important for people to be informed and to engage with technology safely. "Put a password on your phone and don't tell it to anyone," she said. "Go into your privacy settings and actually look what it is there. You can also disable geotagging." Airman 1st Class Daniel Anderson, a volunteer victim's advocate here, said the reason he attended the training was to become better equipped with helping sexual assault victims protect themselves and feel and be safe. "I feel like with most serious crimes its human nature to have that mindset that it won't happen to me or anyone I know," he said. "It's so important to be informed and situationally aware to stay safe. Violence happens and it's better knowing about it than not knowing." STALKING FACTS · Stalking itself is a risk factor for increased harm · Stalking needs to be addressed because of how common it is · Stalking is underreported and under recognized · 18-24 year olds have the highest rates for victimization · Women are twice more likely to experience stalking than men · Most offenders are male · 2/3 of stalkers pursue their victim at least once a week · In 20 percent of stalking cases, weapons are used to harm or threaten victims · Early intervention can prevent violence and death