Through this web page, the Center on Violence Against Women and Children provides online access to 16 short videos that address various aspects of stalking as a criminal offense, issues in the arrest and prosecution of stalking cases, and guidance for stalking victims.
The first video addresses what advocates for stalking victims should know about stalking as generally defined in legislation and how the criminal justice system typically processes stalking cases. The second video suggests when a victim should report to law enforcement certain stress-provoking behaviors by a former intimate partner perceived as violations of criminal stalking laws, as well as how law enforcement agencies generally respond to such complaints. The third video addresses what prosecutors should know about stalking, followed by a video on the work of the Stalking Prevention and Awareness Resource Center (SPARC), which provides technical assistance and training on stalking to criminal justice personnel and victim service providers. The fifth video examines the victimizing and criminal-law characteristics of stalking, followed by the sixth video, which features advice to stalking victims from the law enforcement perspective. Other videos on law enforcement issues in stalking offenses address best practices for law enforcement officers working on stalking cases, the types of stalking cases least likely to result in arrest, the information law enforcement investigators need in stalking cases, the obstacles law enforcement officers face in stalking investigations, and why in-person training on stalking is important for law enforcement officers. Remaining videos in this stalking series address better collaboration between investigators and prosecutors in stalking cases, advice for prosecutors that will improve their work on stalking cases, advice for stalking victims from a prosecutor, how prosecutors decide whether to drop or press charges in stalking cases, and obstacles prosecutors most often face in stalking cases.