Technology makes it harder for stalking victims to hide

Advances in technology have made solving crimes easier, but they have also made it easier for stalkers to keep tabs their victims.

The devices stalkers can use -- computers, cell phones, GPS systems, wireless cameras and other surveillance gear -- can pose a real threat to victims, said Mindy Denson, education and outreach coordinator for the Safe House for Women.

"Unfortunately because of technology the abuser has such an advantage," Denson said.

The Scott County Sheriff's Department has been investigating the stalking of a teen. Deputies believed her cell phone was being used to spy on her, Sheriff Rick Walter said.

She had been receiving text messages from an unknown number, and the messages' content indicated that they had to be from someone who was actually seeing her in her home, Walter said. The messages were impossible to track, and the behavior has stopped, leaving investigators at a dead end, Walter said.

"Technological advances have definitely enhanced stalkers' ability to track, monitor and get in contact with victims," said Michelle Garcia, director of the Stalking Resource Center, a program of the National Center for Victims of Crime.

Stalkers can monitor their victims' movements without leaving the comfort of their living rooms, Garcia said.

While technological stalking may appear more benign than actually following or harassing someone, it's just as likely to involve violence, according to the National Center for Victims of Crime.

In fact, stalking, more than domestic violence or domestic assault, is the best indicator of homicide for women, said Detective Debi Oliver, sex crime investigator for the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Stalking makes up about 11 percent of Oliver's cases whereas it was 8 percent in the past, meaning more victims may be coming forward, she said. Oliver attributes that possibility to increased awareness that stalking is a serious crime.

"It's getting the word out that yes, we do take stalking seriously," Oliver said.

In the past, the police would often ask victims to return with proof of their stalking claim, but those days are gone, Oliver said. Now police immediately investigate claims of stalking, and more focus is placed on stalking at the law enforcement academy level.

"If we can stop the stalking, we can stop a lot of the other crimes against women," Oliver said.

Those in their teens or 20s seem to be targeted most frequently by stalkers, Denson said.

"I think that kids have a harder time because they don't realize that it is stalking. It seems like just high schoolers in love," Denson said.

Until violence is involved, some may be tempted to dismiss stalking behavior as harmless or even showing affection, said Tammy Gwaltney, director of Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence.

Denson said the most important thing people can do to protect themselves is be aware that any unwanted contact, regardless of gender or previous relationships with the person, constitutes stalking and is illegal. She advised reporting all stalking incidents to local authorities, and making sure to document notes, voicemails, text messages or e-mails received from a suspected stalker.

Many victims do their own surveillance, setting up cameras to record their abuser's actions, Garcia said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

388-3635

Safe House for Women: 651-1614 24-hour hot line

Debi Oliver, Cape Girardeau Police Department: 335-6621, ext. 1230