The legal definition of stalking is defined primarily by state statutes. While statutes vary, most define stalking as a course of conduct that places a person in fear for their safety.

However, the term "stalking" is more commonly used to describe specific kinds of behavior directed at a particular person, such as harassing or threatening another person. But the variety of specific strategies employed and behaviors displayed by stalkers are limited only by the creativity and ingenuity of the stalkers themselves. Suffice it to say, virtually any unwanted contact between a stalker and their victim which directly or indirectly communicates a threat or places the victim in fear can generally be referred to as stalking.

Prevalence
* 1 out of every 12 women will be stalked during her lifetime
* 1 out of 45 men will be stalked during his lifetime
* 1,006,970 women are stalked annually
* 370,990 men are stalked annually

Stalkers* 94% of stalkers identified by female victims were men
* 60% of stalkers identified by male victims were men
* 87% of stalkers overall were men

10 Things You Need to Know About Stalking.

Many changes have occurred in information about stalking, and advice once given has proven to not be very effective. The Following article gives these details far better then I can, Rethinking Our Advice to Stalking Victims. I put it here because I believe it to be very important. The more information you have the better prepared you are to deal with the problem and fight it effectively.

The Stalking Resource Center is always looking for the best, most up-to-date advice to give stalking victims. We subscribe to many journals and newsletters, and we read books on stalking. As we talk to practitioners in the field, we learn more about this crime and what can be done to help keep victims safe. One result of this search is that we are constantly rethinking and reevaluating the criminal justice system’s responses to stalking.

Because stalking has been recognized as a crime for only about a decade, our approach to the problem is still in its infancy. Creative practitioners around the country have developed great ways to respond to the crime and to keep victims safe. Those ideas, shared and spread around the country, have gained wide acceptance. For the most part, that’s great. But what do we do when we find out that our well-intentioned advice might actually be putting victims in danger? Experts are now struggling to find the best advice for victims about whether, when, and how they should respond to contact from their stalkers.

One common piece of advice is telling victims that if they "just ignore the stalker, the stalking will stop." Experience has taught us that this advice seldom works. The stalker is pursuing the victim for a reason, and the behavior is likely to escalate if he or she is not getting the desired reaction from the victim. For example, if a victim who is being stalked via the Internet completely stops using the computer (even if that were possible), the stalker usually recognizes that he or she is being ignored and does something else to get the victim’s attention. Rather than ignoring the behavior, victims of stalking should seek help from trained advocates and law enforcement officers who can help them assess the threat level that the stalker poses and advise them what measures they can take to stay safe.

We are also reconsidering what to tell victims who report that stalkers are harassing or threatening them by phone. The standard advice has been that victims should disconnect their phones and get a new, unlisted phone number. Getting a new number is a good idea, but it turns out that disconnecting the old one may be a mistake. The Seattle Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit has found that when stalking victims disconnect the phone, virtually 100 percent of the stalkers escalate their contact to in-person stalking. The Seattle Police now advise victims to get a new phone number but keep their old phone line active and connected to an answering machine to capture any possible evidence.

So, if ignoring stalkers doesn’t work, what about the advice many well-meaning professionals often give victims, to tell their stalkers—once and forcefully—to leave them alone? This advice may serve a purpose if the stalker doesn’t understand that his or her attentions are unwelcome and fear-inducing. Such stalkers may stop if they are appropriately warned. However, much stalking involves unmistakably deliberate behavior that could never be confused with innocent, possibly welcome, non-criminal behavior. In such cases, encouraging a victim to have contact with the stalker, in any form, only increases the stalker’s sense of power and control. Even when a warning seems appropriate, a great deal of thought and safety planning must precede contact with the stalker. Trained law enforcement officers or other legal agents, rather than the victim, should deliver the warning (which should not be a substitute for criminal charges). Because stalkers are dangerously unpredictable, warnings can put them "over the edge," further endangering the victim.

So, as we work with victims, we need to keep helping them with safety planning and threat assessment, and keep looking for better ways to address the problem of stalking. But, as we do this, we must think through the ramifications of all our advice and regularly reevaluate strategies to make sure they are working as intended. Never underestimate the potential threat that a stalker may pose.

Learn more Rethinking Our Advice to Stalking Victims or visit Stalking Behavior.

There a couple of things suggested above which I will provide the link to one, and the full example of the other below. They are the Safety Plan Guidelines, and the Stalking Incident and Behavior Log. The Safety Plan Guidelines are way to long to give the whole article, but here is the link to it. I suggest you read the whole thing it gives great information for victims of stalking.

Visit the link and read the information to understand Stalking Safety Planning.

Stalking Incident and Behavior Log It is critical that victims of stalking maintain a log of stalking-related incidents and behavior. Recording this information will help to document the behavior for restraining order applications, divorce and child custody cases, or criminal prosecution. It can also help preserve your memory of individual incidents about which you might later testify. The stalking log should be used to record and document all stalking-related behavior, including harassing phone calls, letters, e-mail messages, acts of vandalism, and threats communicated through third parties. When reporting the incidents to law enforcement, always write down the officer's name and badge number for your own records. Even if the officers do not make an arrest, you can ask them to make a written report and request a copy for your records.

Important note: Since this information could potentially be introduced as evidence or inadvertently shared with the stalker at a future time, do not include any information that you do not want the offender to see.

Attach a photograph of the stalker, photocopies of restraining orders, police reports, and other relevant documents. Keep the log in a safe place and tell only someone you trust where you keep your log.

Documenting stalking behavior can be a difficult and emotionally exhausting task. A local advocate in your community can provide support, information about the options available to you, and assistance with safety planning.

The Incident and Behavior Log

More information is available about this valuable tool at Factsheets: Stalking: Incident/Behavior Log.

The problem of stalking can become very dangerous. Many people die because they do not take their stalker seriously, or the stalker just becomes desperate. Desperate and obsessed people are dangerous people. It is the goal of this web site that everyone remains safe. Again if you are being stalked, someone you love is being stalked, or just to have information to protect yourself in the event of any future problems of this nature; please visit the The National Center for Victims of Crime they offer bunches of valuable information. Information is power and knowledge in regards to stalking can make the difference in protecting victims.

I would, also, recommend to all who has been a victim of stalking to click on the link below and fill out the Stalking Survey. This adds more information to validate the statistics. It will not take that much time and allows them to add more information and keep everyone aware that stalking is a crime which continues to offer a major threat and needs to continue to be taken seriously. It is one way to make sure your voice is heard.

Stalking Questionnaire

Get more information at Stalking Behavior