The National Center for Victims of Crime shares that, “In a significant number of cases, stalking is in fact, a precursor to lethal violence. 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, then victim safety and prevention are the priorities, and an approach of reactive policing inevitably falls short. Stalking by its nature calls for early intervention, preventive action, and proactive problem-solving. These are the hallmarks of community policing.”
Here is a explanation of Community Policing by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) they are a component of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for advancing the practice of community policing by the nation’s state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant resources: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/vets-to-cops/e030917193-CP-Defined.pdf
Community policing was not used in Morgan’s case, and other stalking victims I’ve heard from recently in Garfield County tell me nothing has changed. They still rely on reactive policing, but does anyone really think that coming to look for your stalker hours or even a day after they were terrorizing you is really going to work? I believe the community should have been made aware of other similar incidents in that area months and years before Morgan’s stalking started, those incidents as well as Morgan’s stalking should have then been shared with the community, and followed up on by the sheriffs. Stalking is by definition is a pattern of behavior, it is not one incident. Insisting on treating stalking as if it were an incident by incident crime only serves to give the stalker the upper hand, while doing little to halt his criminal behavior.
In an article in the Grand Junction Sentinel Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario was quoted as saying, “I believe a proactive law enforcement group reduces crime in the long run.” “To me the buzzword ‘community policing’ is less important than what we’re providing.” So while he claims to believe in proactive law enforcement, it is certainly not employed in stalking cases, it is still pure reactionary, an incident by incident response.
And Community Policing – just a buzzword? I don’t think so…the protocol that the sheriff used in Morgan’s case had absolutely no way of working, it was not proactive it was reactive at best and did not work. Every stalking expert, stalking task force, along with the National Center for Victims of Crimes and even the Colorado Legislature suggests specific protocols that are proven to have a better outcome for stalking victims and isn’t that what we all want? For example when the Colorado Legislature states, “encouraging and authorizing effective intervention before stalking can escalate into behavior that has even more serious consequences.” I applaud that statement and point out that right in the middle is “effective intervention” or action taken to improve a situation, which responses long after the stalker has come and gone will not do.
When a felony stalking case is opened (like in Morgan’s case) if law enforcement waits to get a call, and then show up sometime in the next 30 minutes to an hour later, and they later claim they didn’t see the stalker, because of course the stalker isn’t about to just sit on the sidewalk and await their arrival, in what galaxy does this seem like it would ever work? There is a Model Protocol that was created to promote more effective anti-stalking policies by police departments across the nation. What will it take for Garfield County to adopt a good stalking protocol? They need to realize lives are continuously endangered and depend on a better protocol.
I look forward to a day when law enforcement agencies across the country adopt this Model Protocol, and look to and learn from other agencies that have had a more positive outcome for the victims of stalking. Just like in every field in our society constant continuing education is the sign of a belief that you want to do your job to the best of your ability. If the tools to do your job are out there then why not research them, learn them, and then employ them?
Every life is important. The oath to serve and protect is a serious one, and I am sure that most of those who have taken that oath do want to serve and protect to the best of their ability, so as the head of his agency I beseech the Sheriff to give his officers the “tools” to uphold their oath to the best of their ability. This is not a matter of who is right and who is wrong…this is a matter of having and using the best information for the best outcome for the community. This is not something to be indignant of or arrogant about, certainly not to feel threatened by…it is just doing the best job you are capable of doing, because that is what you promised to do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8reNGMUIHU
As a homeowner on the Caribbean island of Bonaire, Sheriff Lou Vallario was quoted in still another article in the Bonaire Reporter. Vallario gave the Bonaire Reporter some ‘Crime Fighting Ideas’ as he put it, “We use GPS and radio frequency trackers to catch these guys. We put them on bait cars and other items that look enticing to a thief. You would love the look on their faces when we walk into their homes or reach under the seat of their cars and find exactly what we’re looking for! They are clueless. It’s not entrapment because nobody is forcing them to steal the items.”
How can the Sheriff of Garfield County admit to doing these types of things in order to catch a car thief but can not seem to commit the same type of time or effort into catching a suspected stalker when it is known that stalking poses an imminent physical threat to one of his citizens? Why did we always hear from the detective in Morgan’s felony stalking case that he would love to take more proactive steps but he could not get the authorization from his superior. He was almost embarresed to tell us this superior would not approve the expense. So for lack of allocated time and resources our daughter is now dead at age 20, and a stalker/murder is allowed to remain free…is this your idea of keeping your citizens safe Sheriff? This type of leadership just goes to show me where your priorities are…obviously not in protecting the young women of Garfield County.
Okay – now I am about to vent. I just remembered the very first time a Garfield County Patrol officer came to our home in August 2011, after he searched all around the outside and found footprints right under Morgan’s bathroom and bedroom windows (pushed right up against the wall of the house – obvious that the stalker was peering in her windows) he told us that the subdivision right across the road from us had had 5 incidents called in the previous summer – all with the same MO – tapping on the windows, peeping tom, stalking. He told us at the end of that summer of 2010 they received a good description of the young man and brought in the tracking dog. The dog then tracked him to the Mini Storage facility on County Road 100 where the dog lost the scent.
Another Patrol Officer that responded to our second call also brought up the same story about similar incidents the previous summer – this was all very disturbing. But the deputies were hopeful that as those stalking incidents had ended at the change of seasons and as summer was almost over and winter was right around the corner perhaps Morgan’s situation would, “just end on its own.” Well many weeks later when Morgan had a detective assigned to her case (Detective Rob Glassmire) to investigate her felony stalking I told him exactly what those officers had told us. I hoped he could pull up those reports and see if they were connected to Morgan’s case. He said he would, but never did. Finally after Morgan died I pressed him again for that answer he told me he couldn’t imagine how I could have gotten that information because when he looked into it there were only reports of incidents where someone had broken into cars in that neighborhood and stolen stereos… Why would 2 different officers tell me about the stalking/trespassing/peeping tom incidents the summer before if they were not true? They had both given me details about those incidents, but now they were not incidents at all? How can that be? This was a another big red flag.
It all became even more sinister for me after I started this blog the summer of 2012. I received emails from women that lived in that neighborhood and had experienced similar incidents and reported them to the sheriffs…one such incident was only 2 weeks before Morgan’s stalking started! Why was I never told about that? How can anybody feel safe in a county whose policy is to never tell people about crime that is happening right next door, and how can they believe that their sheriff is trying to protect them? The whole thing is so outrageous. It is a systematic policy of arrogance, avoidance and mistruths!
We all know that there is good and bad in this world – there always has been and there always will be, but I truly believe if you expose the bad and then have effective solutions then positive change will be made, “before stalking can escalate into behavior that has even more serious consequences.” as the Colorado Legislature has decreed. That is why I would like to see law enforcement everywhere adopt the Model Protocol for stalking so we can look forward to a better, safer, future for everyone…everyone, except for those who choose to stalk and terrorize us.
