Stalking

Stalking is a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. Stalking is a crime.  National Center for Victims of Crime

  • Stalking victims fear not knowing what will happen next.
  • They fear that the stalking will never stop.
  • Victims lose time from work as a result of their victimization.
  • Many move as a result of their victimization.
  • The prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression is very high among stalking victims.

Stalking Safety Tips

  • If possible, have a phone nearby at all times, preferably one to which the stalker has never had access. Memorize emergency numbers, and make sure that 911 and helpful family or friends are on speed dial.
  • Treat all threats, direct and indirect, as legitimate and inform law enforcement immediately.
  • Vary routines, including changing routes to work, school, the grocery store, and other places regularly frequented. Limit time spent alone and try to shop at different stores and visit different bank branches.
  • When out of the house or work environment, try not to travel alone and try to stay in public areas.
  • Get a new, unlisted phone number. Leave the old number active and connected to an answering machine or voicemail. have a friend, advocate, or law enforement screen the calls, and save any messages from the stalker. These messages, particularly those that are explicitly abusive or threatening, can be critical evidence for law enforcement to build a stalking case against the offender.
  • Do not interact with the person stalking or harassing you. Responding to stalker’s actions may reinforce their behavior.
  • Consider obtaining a protective order against the stalker. Some states offer stalking protective orders and other victims may be eligible for protective orders under their state’s domestic violence statutes.
  • Trust your instincts. If you’re somewhere that doesn’t feel safe, either find ways to make it safer, or leave.

The Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) ensures first responders and other allied professionals have the specialized knowledge to identify and respond to the crime of stalking.  How much do you know about stalking?

Prevention of Stalking Fact Sheet 

The Beverly, Massachusetts Police Department provides additional fact sheets on many crime prevention topics.

Cyberstalking – Ways to protect your privacy on Facebook.

  • Consider your most private information
  • Regularly check your exposure
  • Protect basic information
  • Know what you cannot protect
  • UnPublic your status updates
  • Turn off automatic face recognition (Tag Suggest)
  • Block snooping apps and sites
  • Keep status updates from friends without ‘unfriending’ them
  • Deactivate or delete your account

Protect your privacy on Facebook.  Review tips from Consumer Reports that can help you control what others see and know about you.