Virtual training aimed at increasing reporting and charging of the crime of stalking draws 200

An  estimated 8 percent of women and 2 percent of men have been stalked at some time in their life; it’s an alarming crime that poses difficult challenges to local law enforcement. 

"Stalking is homicide in slow motion," said Dana Fleitman, associate advisor of Aequitas Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center in Washington DC. According to Fleitman, stalking often co-occurs with physical assault and sexual violence, including rape. 

Some 20 percent of stalkers use weapons to threaten or harm victims and 76 percent of intimate partner femicides included stalking in the year leading up to the homicide, Fleitman said.

Fleitman was the main speaker at a virtual training sponsored by the Northwestern District Attorney's Office last week. About 200 area law enforcement, court staff and community advocates attended the training titled, "Intimate Partner Violence & the Crime of Stalking." ​

In the Northwestern District of Franklin and Hampshire counties and the town of Athol, there have been 23 intimate partner violence related homicides since 1984, most recently 1 in 2017 and 1 in 2019. 

The primary goal of the training was to offer information to area law enforcement and community partners in order to increase reporting and charging of the crime of stalking, Mary Kociela, Director of Domestic & Sexual Violence Projects at the DA's Office, said.​

Victims are experiencing stalking, but they often don’t report it, Kociela said.

There were 10 stalking cases received by the DA's Office in a 3-year period: 4 in 2016, 1 in 2017 and 5 in 2018.

These numbers are low, however, when compared to data from referrals to the NWDA's Domestic High Risk Team,  an interdisciplinary collaboration of law enforcement, state agencies, batterer’s intervention programs and victim advocates that works to identify high risk behaviors in order to maximize victim safety and offender accountability. Stalking, strangulation, sexual assault and escalating violence are among behaviors identified as at high risk of leading to homicide.

Referrals  to the High Risk Team in the same 3-year period between 2016 and 2018 included 45 cases of stalking: 11 in 2016, 15 in 2017 and 19 in 2018. 

"Stalking is a serious crime for victims of intimate partner violence that can actually escalate after the victim tries to separate from the abusive partner," Kociela said.

Victims of stalkers might feel anxious, nervous, isolated, become stressed, or develop signs of depression.

Fleitman shared quotes from victims who have experienced stalking. 

 “It’s not easy to describe the fear you have when you see the stalker, or signs of the stalker, everywhere you go. I have given up all hopes of ever having a safe life,” one victim said.

“For the rest of my life, I will be looking over my shoulder, expecting to see him there,” another said.

Attendees participated in an exercise utilizing the SHARP tool, a 43 item web-based assessment which provides an assessment of the “big picture” of a stalking situation. The SHARP tool offers an easy way to assess the level of risk in stalking situations.