Creating An Effective Stalking Protocol researched and written by the National Center for Victims of Crime in 2002. During the project, the National Center, with the assistance of a diverse advisory board, developed a model protocol to help police agencies throughout the United States address stalking more effectively. Advisory board members included experts from law enforcement, victim services, and prosecution services.
Individual stalking incidents looked at in isolation often appear innocuous. But once identified as part of a pattern of behavior of unwanted contact imposed on the victim by the perpetrator, it’s another story. Whether they are linked to domestic violence or involve perpetrators who are acquaintances or strangers, stalking incidents become threatening and sinister, even in the absence of any overt threats to harm the victim. In a significant number of cases, stalking is in fact, a precursor to lethal violence.
The fear induced by stalking, the drastic way it disrupts victims’ lives, and the real dangers faced by many victims all demand effective intervention by law enforcement. Yet, stalking is exceptionally difficult to police–difficult to investigate, prosecute, and prevent–and the majority of police departments in the United States lack clearly defined policies to deal with it.
Traditional “reactive” policing is ill-suited to the challenges because it means waiting for something to happen and then responding. Where there is an ever-present risk that stalking will cross over into physical violence and victim safety and prevention are the priorities, such an approach inevitably falls short. Stalking by its nature calls for early intervention, preventive action, and proactive problem-solving. These are the hallmarks of community policing. https://www.victimsofcrime.org/docs/src/creating-an-effective-stalking-protocol.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Wouldn’t this be a great start if all law enforcement agencies could have a National protocol that was taught to all their officers?