Stalking Awareness Series: Reporting to Law Enforcement

In previous articles we examined characteristics of stalking, changes to Oregon’s HB 4156 law, and impact on victims. This week, we will discuss how to work with local law enforcement.

Reporting stalking crimes can be a scary and intimidating process and estimates show stalking is severely underreported. A study, “Law Enforcement and Stalking: How Law Enforcement Identifies Stalking and Handles Complaints,” found only 30-50 percent of stalking victims contact the police and arrest rates remain low at 12-24 percent. The study also states arrests are unlikely to occur unless there are visible injuries to the victim or a protective/no contact order is in place. As covered in prior articles, many stalking behaviors are not focused on physical violence but emotional and psychological violence which leaves no “visible injuries.”

For victims dealing with intimate, partner-based stalking, there can be fear of physical retaliation. According to a report titled, “Dangerous Liaisons: Examining the Connection of Stalking and Gun Threats Among Partner Abuse Victims,” 82 percent of intimate partner stalking victims with gun-owning abusers were afraid the stalker would hurt or threaten them with a gun, compared to 24 percent of victims with an abuser who did not own a gun. Another report, “The Use of the Justice System Prior to Intimate Partner Femicide. Criminal Justice Review,” found 85 percent of attempted and 76 percent of completed intimate partner femicides are preceded by stalking in the year before the attack.

Other challenges for victims include feeling they are not taken seriously by law enforcement and the stress of having to bear the burden of evidence collection. Incoming St. Helens Police Chief Matthew Smith offered advice as to what kind of information is helpful to provide to law enforcement.

“What’s helpful to us is a timeline chronology,” said Smith. “If a victim can have something written out in advance that’s extraordinarily helpful because a lot of times it’s difficult to talk about and it’s common for victims to forget critical details they’ll remember when they get home. This is why I recommend victims sit down and write out detailed bullet pointed statements when the relationship started, how it progressed, when [and if] it turned violent, when they perceived the stalking to begin, and circumstances in which the individual should not have known their whereabouts but suddenly did, and any statements the person might have made, for example.”

Rainier Police Chief Gregg Griffith suggested the importance of noting the date and time of each unwanted contact that causes the victim to be alarmed or coerced by the contact. “Also save any surveillance video you may have of the contact, as well as voicemails or electronic messages,” Griffith said.

In terms of reporting stalking or electronic harassment in Columbia County or Rainier, it’s recommended to first contact the dispatch center. According to Griffith, “Stalking behavior frequently results in serious injury and emotional trauma to victims, and it is the policy of the Rainier Police Department to ensure that complaints of stalking will be given high priority and that every formal stalking complaint will be thoroughly investigated and forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office. The Rainier Police Department will make available an Oregon Uniform Stalking Complaint form to any person desiring to file a stalking complaint regardless of where the violation is alleged to have occurred. Officers will provide reasonable assistance as necessary to petitioners to properly complete and sign the form.”

When asked if the Rainier police department has received specialized training in working with stalking victims or offenders, Griffith said, “Officers here do receive training on Sexual Harassment and Abusive Conduct, Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking, Missing Persons, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse and Neglect as well as a multitude of other topics.”

Next week, for our final installment, we’ll discuss resources and support services outside of law enforcement. If you are the victim of stalking in Columbia County and need to file a report, contact dispatch at 503-397-1521 or the Rainier police department at 503-556-3644 to receive and file an Oregon Uniform Stalking Complaint form.