A stalking primer for law enforcement:
Stalking is one of the top ten risk factors for intimate partner homicide, with a three-fold increase in risk when present. A woman being stalked is at a measurably increased risk of being murdered than a woman in the general population.
In one study of a city department, researchers reviewed nearly 1,800 domestic violence cases and identified almost 300 that involved stalking — but police had only charged stalking in one case. Another study of a different city department found that among nearly 3,800 stalking calls for service, not one generated a stalking incident report or arrest for stalking.
Acts that may be innocuous in a different context may become menacing due to their repetitiveness or intrusiveness, or because of the history of violence in the relationship between stalker and victim. Therefore, it is vital to understand the context of the situation to be able to determine if a reasonable person in the victim’s contextual situation would feel fear after experiencing the repeated targeted behaviors. When the offender targets a victim with specific incidents or tactics that the victim finds frightening, this indicates the offender’s intent to frighten them.
Considering witness intimidation — especially after the victim has reported to law enforcement or applied for a protection order — is often a vital piece of a stalking case; stalkers often threaten victims about reporting to and/or participating in the criminal or civil justice system. Monitoring post-intervention stalker behavior is a key part of an investigation, and stalking may actually increase during this time. Oftentimes, the stalker will project their behavior back onto their victim, accusing them of 'reverse-stalking'––this is nearly never true.
These are resources for law enforcement officers from SPARC. While I've shared these resources directly with the OCSO, I wanted to post them publicly here.