NCJ Number
227064
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 36 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2009 Pages: 56,58,60
Date Published
May 2009
Length
4 pages
Annotation
After identifying the features of “high-tech stalking,” this article provides guidance to police agencies on how to investigate such cases and respond to the victims.
Abstract
In January 2009, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released the largest-ever study on stalking. The report indicates that technology--including Internet-based services such as e-mail and instant messaging, along with other technology such as global positioning systems (GPS) and computer spyware--have been used to harass one in four stalking victims. Although all 50 States have enacted anti-stalking laws, only 14 of them specifically address high-tech stalking. Some law enforcement agencies are well trained in stalking and domestic violence, but they have no specialized computer forensic unit or investigator who can do the work needed to identify anonymous stalkers using high-tech means of harassing their victims. The keys to understanding and investigating high-tech stalking are training and education; collaboration, including information sharing; and developing standard protocols for how to work with victims. It is important that law enforcement agencies inform the public (everyone is a potential stalking victim) about what constitutes stalking under State law and how stalkers may use high-tech mechanisms in their stalking strategies. Investigative protocols in stalking cases should include a checklist of questions for victims regarding whether they have computers in the house connected to the Internet, whether personal vehicles are equipped with GPS, and whether they have a cell phone and the nature of its features. This article provides protocol suggestions for investigators and patrol officers involved in stalking cases as well as options for training and education.