PVCC Safety Presentation: Stalking Awareness

Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Police Chief, Shawn Harrison, presented Stalking: Increase Your Awareness January 28 in the main building auditorium. Stalking is a repeated course of conduct specifically directed, which would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. This behavior could include unwanted calls, texts, emails, posting information or spreading rumors about the victim on the internet, in a public place or by word of mouth, leaving unwanted items, presents or flowers, or following, spying, showing up at the same place or waiting at places for the victim. These methods are in addition to cyberstalking such as digital cameras, recording devices and GPS.

The U.S. Department of Justice has compiled staggering statistics supporting the severity of this crime: 25 percent of females and 32 percent of males are being stalked by someone they know, 11 percent of victims are stalked for five years or more, and 54 percent of female victims reported their stalkers to authorities before being killed. Seventy-nine percent of female domestic abuse victims reported being stalked during their time-frame of abuse.

Chief Harrison also addressed personal safety plans which includes keeping your cell phone charged in case you need to summon help, be aware of your surroundings and who may always seem to be present.  Let someone know where you are going, with whom, and when you will return. If you feel like you are being consistently observed, are aware of the same situation occurring in different places or receive contacts through electronic modes, you may be a victim of stalking. If this is the case, it is important to keep a stalking incident log which will detail date, time, type of incident, any witnesses, and to whom you reported it. It is also imperative you keep any electronic contacts, notes, gifts, etc. for evidence. The bottom line is to document and report stalking incidents to the police.