Stalking
- What is Stalking?
- What to do if you are being stalked.
- What to do if someone you know is being stalked.
What is Stalking?
Knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific individual, which seriously alarms, annoys, harasses, or terrorizes the individual and which serves no legitimate purpose.
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Course of conduct must be such that would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress and must actually cause substantial emotional distress to the individual.
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Course of conduct must involve a credible threat with the intent to place that person in reasonable fear of death or great bodily injury; OR to place that person in reasonable fear of the death or great bodily injury of his or her immediate family.
Definition of stalking is taken from California State Law.
What to do if you are being stalked.
SAFETY
- Make sure you are safe:
- It’s important to know where you feel safe. Depending on the situation, safe places might be police stations, homes of family or friends unknown to the stalker, domestic violence shelters or public areas that may discourage the stalker from creating a disturbance.
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If you feel your life is in danger, call 9-1-1!
- Get the police involved if you feel threatened or unsafe:
- Some stalking victims don’t like to be called victims. Some say, "I won’t let myself be victimized," or "I’m not going to change my life because I’m being stalked."
- When a person is stalked, their life has changed - forever. Not accepting that may actually be helping the stalker.
- Many people are reluctant to call the police due to feelings of guilt or fear of looking foolish. Don’t be one of them.
- Stalkers don’t stop stalking because someone is nice. The police would rather take the time to investigate a possible stalker than a murder.
STOP THE STALKER
- Tell the stalker "no" - once and only once - and never give the satisfaction of a reaction. The more you respond, the more the stalker will think his/her actions will get a response.
- Have a witness with you if possible. Tell the stalker in no uncertain terms and don’t waste your energy trying to be polite. If you convey anything other than "NO WAY," the stalker will assume you mean, "keep trying."
- If you already have a dog, it can provide some security. For more information on other security measures you can take, call your local police department. (In Berkeley call Community Services at 644-6696.)
- Never give out your phone number or address. Get a post office box and use it for all correspondence.
- If the stalker gets your home phone number, you have a choice:
- Don’t change the number - let an answering machine pick up messages using someone else’s voice. Keep the tape as evidence.
- Get a new, unlisted number and give the number only to people you trust and who won’t give it to the stalker.
- Don’t accept packages at home or work unless you personally ordered them.
- Consider telling your employer about the situation. You can have co-workers screen all calls and visitors.
- Consider whether a restraining order might help. Get some advice. Law enforcement personnel and others familiar with the stalking problem can assess what precautions are necessary based on the threat to you.
These recommendations on what to do if you are being stalked is taken from the Berkeley Police Department website.
What to do if someone you know is being stalked.
- Ask, "Are you safe?"
- If the person does not feel safe, ask:
- "Would you like me to call the police or do you need an escort immediately?"
- "Would you like me to accompany you to the police station?"
- With the person's permission, you can:
- Call UCPD at 642-3333 or 9-911 (from campus phones), or 911 (other phones, no coins required from pay phones)
- Get a temporary restraining order (TRO) form at the following locations.
- online: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/
- UCPD - 1 Sproul Hall
- Gender Equity Resource Center - 202 Cesar Chavez Student Center
- Berkeley Courthouse -2120 Martin Luther King Jr. - (510) 644-6909
- Call a friend or family member
Services & Resources
