The Dark Figure of Stalking: Examining Law Enforcement Response

Abstract

Despite the growing body of scholarship on stalking victimization, the criminal justice system's response has been substantially understudied. Although scholars consider stalking to be a significant issue, its prevalence is not echoed in official data representing stalking arrests and convictions. The disparity between prevalence estimates and official data reinforces a "dark figure" of stalking that warrants further examination. To develop a better understanding of underreporting and/or underrecording, this exploratory study used official data from the Houston Police Department to examine police response to stalking. Findings indicated that, compared with other interpersonal crimes, incidents of stalking are dramatically underrecorded. Over an 8-year period, there were a total of 3,756 stalking calls for service, 66 stalking-related incident reports, and only 12 arrests for stalking. However, not one of the stalking calls for service generated a stalking-related incident report nor an arrest for stalking. Of the stalking calls for service that did generate an incident report, the large majority of the reports were classified as either harassment or a violation of a protective order. Furthermore, incident reports and arrests for stalking generally emerged from calls for service for harassment or terroristic threats. Implications for research and policy are discussed.

Health Care Professionals’ Knowledge of Stalking Perpetrators, Victims, Behaviors, and Coping Strategies: A Preliminary Study among Italian Hospitals

“…The typical behavior results reflected the characteristics of the stalking phenomenon. Generally, stalking behaviors include harassment and intimidation, surveillance tactics, and invasion tactics, as suggested by Sheridan et al [22], Spitzberg and Cupach [23, 24], and Brady and Nobles [25]. We suggest that HCPs pay attention to behaviors that may be considered a warning sign of a possible escalation from intimidation to a physical threat—that is, when aggressiveness is not only expressed as potential violence but also shows the characteristics of perpetrated violence.…”

“…A stalker's misconduct could vary from a range of behaviors, from obsessive acts to behaviors that make the victim afraid or concerned for his or her safety [21], such as harassment and intimidation, surveillance tactics, and invasion tactics [22–25]. In regard to the type of motivation for stalking, Melton [26] suggested that stalkers may be motived by the inability to form a relationship, the desire to establish or reestablish a relationship, revenge in the context of a failed relationship, and the redress for a perceived wrong and/or sexual gratification.…”

A Sign of the Crimes: Examining Officers’ Identification of, and Arrest for, Stalking in Domestic Violence Complaints

“…Studies examining DV reports from U.S. police departments have found that officers may be minimizing and failing to identify stalking behaviors as "stalking" (Klein et al, 2009;Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). For example, Brady and Nobles (2017) explored police responses to stalking using data from one of the five largest police departments in the United States. They found that of the 3,756 stalking calls for service over an 8-year period (2005-2013), only 66 calls generated an incident report and zero resulted in an arrest for stalking.…”

“…Prosecutors file charges based on convictability (Albonetti, 1986(Albonetti, , 1987 and thus, the amount of time and resources dedicated to a stalking investigation may be contingent on officers' perceptions of whether prosecutors would accept the case for prosecution. Consequently, the complexity of stalking statues and barriers in stalking investigations may influence officers to obtain a more immediate response by arresting an offender for a lower level offense that is easier to prove in court (Brady & Nobles, 2017;Klein et al, 2009).…”

Is Having a Gun for Safety Associated with Feeling Safer, Safety Planning, and More Assertive Responses to Conflict Among Women with Interpersonal Victimization Experiences?

“…* Tammy's story of being stalked, as well as the difficulty in finding help, is not unique. Even though stalking is associated with assault and lethal assault (Logan and Walker 2017;McFarlane et al 2002), as well as significant victim fear (Davis et al 2002;Fleming et al 2013;Logan andWalker 2009, 2017;Sheridan and Lyndon 2012), the justice system often minimizes or dismisses stalking victimization (Brady and Nobles 2017;Korkodeilou 2017;Ngo 2019;Taylor-Dunn et al 2018). Overall, national data suggest that one in four women is abused by an intimate partner, one in five women has experienced completed or attempted rape, and one in six women will be stalked in their lifetime, which means that millions of women experience interpersonal violence in the United States each year (Smith et al 2018).…”