Stalking is a crime: Know it, Name it, Stop it Published Jan. 21, 2009 By James Mauriello 90th Missile Wing Judge Advocate office F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- January is National Stalking Awareness Month and communities across the country will take this time to focus on a crime that affects 1.4 million victims a year. This year's theme, "Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It." challenges the nation to combat this dangerous crime by learning more about it. Know it. Stalking is a crime in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Federal property. While legal definitions of stalking vary from one jurisdiction to another, a good working definition of stalking is "a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear." Stalking can take many forms - assaults, threats, vandalism, trespassing, harassing communications as well as unwanted cards, gifts or visits. Stalkers come from every socio-economic and educational background. Professionals, laborers, those with degrees and those with little education, have been found guilty of stalking. The common denominator among these stalkers is the fear their victims experience. Last year, the Uniformed Code of Military Justice implemented a new article for stalking, with a maximum punishment of a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and confinement for three years. Article 120a of the UCMJ defines stalking as "wrongfully engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear death or bodily harm, including sexual assault, to themselves or an immediate family member." Name it. The victim advocate organization An Abuse, Rape, and Domestic Violence Aid and Resource Collection or AARDVARC reports that stalkers fall into two categories of motivation as defined by forensic psychologists: love obsession and simple obsession. People who stalk celebrities, coworkers or a stranger fall into the love obsession category. They have no relationship with their targets, yet they are convinced they can make the celebrity, coworker or a complete stranger fall in love with them. When things don't go their way, these stalkers use threats, intimidation or violence in an effort to make their obsessions come true. On the other hand, 75 percent of victims have had some previous personal relationship with the stalker. This stalking falls into the simple obsession category and can be the most dangerous. The FBI Center for Crime Analysis reports this type of stalker may or may not have a psychological disorder, but all of these stalkers have been found to have personality disorders. They are generally above average in intelligence, but are socially maladjusted, emotionally immature and suffer from feelings of helplessness, jealousy and low self esteem. The most common harassment or stalker cases are those of simple obsession; as in the case of a relationship going sour and the jilted person being unable to accept it. The personality problems are what can make this type of stalker dangerous, especially if there is a history of abuse. Seventy-six percent of female homicide victims killed by their intimate partner were stalked by that same intimate partner. The reason they are so dangerous - they stalk out of anger, hurt and revenge. They may be looking for a way to justify their rage. A simple obsessive stalker is likely to develop the idea, "If I can't have you, then nobody else will either." Stop it. The National Center for Victims of Crime cites several studies indicating one in 12 women and one in 45 men will be stalked in their lifetime. Seventy-seven percent of female victims know their stalker and 59 percent of those victims are stalked by an intimate partner. If a victim finds themselves the target of a stalker, they must take actions to increase their personal safety and document the incidents with authorities. A solid safety plan is essential in minimizing the threat of a stalker. Programs like the Wyoming Safehouse in Laramie County provide confidential counseling, processes for filing protection orders, and personal safety planning. Although every stalking case is different, advocates suggest communicating a definite "no" to the stalker. Report encounters and any contact attempts by the stalker right away, even if the attempts are by phone, e-mail or letter. Inform friends, family and employer of the situation and ask them to help keep you safe by lending a watchful eye. Change travel routes and routines; change phone numbers to unlisted. Ask police to perform a security inspection of the owned home to locate any weak areas the stalker could exploit. Stalking can be stopped. By identifying the signs of a stalker and by responding to these threats, not only as a victim but as a community, we can stop stalking.