23rd Wing SARC emphasizes stalker awareness

  • Published
  • By Frances Elmore
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  There is one single type of crime that affects 3.4 million victims a year--stalking.

It is important to learn more about this crime in order to prevent it from happening to you. Stalking can be defined as a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause them to be fearful.

Stalking is considered a crime in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, yet many victims and criminal justice professionals underestimate its seriousness and overall impact.

In one in five cases, stalkers use weapons to harm or threaten their victims. In addition, stalking is one of the significant risk factors for homicide of women who are involved in abusive relationships.

Individuals who have been a victim of stalking can suffer from a variety of symptoms such as anxiety, social dysfunction and severe depression. They often experience these at a much higher rate than the general population. In severe cases, many lose time from work or are forced to move as a result of their victimization.

Stalking is difficult to recognize, investigate and prosecute. Unlike other crimes, it is not easily identifiable because it is a series of acts. It can take on many forms, such as assaults, threats, vandalism, burglary or animal abuse, as well as unwanted cards, phone calls, gifts or visits.

One in four victims have experienced a stalker who used technology, such as computers, global positioning system devices or hidden cameras, to track the victim's daily activities.

Individuals who are stalkers also do not fit a standard psychological profile and many follow their victims from one jurisdiction to another, making it difficult for authorities to investigate and prosecute their crimes.

If you feel you or someone you know may be a victim of stalking, contact your local law enforcement office, your unit first sergeant, or the 23rd Wing SARC at (229) 257-7272 or e-mail frances.elmore@moody.af.mil.