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January is National Stalking Awareness Month

Stalking Conference to be Held in Montgomery

(Jan. 11, 2006) -- From headline makers to the guy down the street, stalkers are a reality in our society today, and they must be recognized and understood. In fact, a group called End Stalking in America, Inc. says that “Stalking can happen to anyone. Until the general public, law enforcement and judicial systems understand that, lives will be lost for nothing more than lack of education.”

While the phenomenon of stalking is nothing new, stalkers’ notoriety has grown in the years since Mark Chapman gunned down John Lennon, John Hinkley nearly took the life of former President Ronald Reagan and Robert Bardo killed the beautiful young actress Rebecca Schaeffer. Security consultant Moshe Alan says "I don't think that we have more stalkers than we had 10 years ago. They're just getting more sophisticated, and the amount of information they can get through the Internet and other sources is much bigger." (CNN, "Technology brings stalkers one step closer to celebrities" by Jim Moret). While celebrities place themselves in a position of notoriety and sometimes in so doing place their security at risk, the woman down the street is no less vulnerable but very much less equipped to secure her safety.

“90% of all women murdered by boyfriends or husbands were first stalked. And stalking means not just following someone around but persistent phone calls, letters, threats, professions of love, vandalism or endangerment — at home or on the job." (E! Online) “Until you are a victim, there is no real understanding of what stalking is or the physical and emotional devastation and impact it has on not only the victim, but also family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.” (End Stalking in America, Inc.)

In Alabama, judicial and law enforcement groups, crime victims’ advocates and others are coming together to take an in-depth look at the problem of stalking. A January 26 conference, “Stop the Stalkers: Stalking Intervention, Investigation & Prosecution” is being held at Auburn University Montgomery from 8:00 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. Sponsors include the Family Sunshine Center, the U.S. Attorneys’ Office, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office, the Alabama Crime Prevention Clearinghouse and the Montgomery County Task Force on Domestic Violence. Featured speakers will be U.S. Attorney Leura Canary, Montgomery Police Lieutenant Steve Searcy, Montgomery County District Attorney Ellen Brooks, Lillian Zaworski with the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Tom Parker with the Administrative Office of Courts, Marjorie Baker with the Family Sunshine Center and Bill Jetter, vice president of iSECUREtrac.