Officials say recognizing stalking could help prevent domestic violence from escalating

District Attorney James Stewart says stalking is an important component of domestic violence cases because it often occurs before or after an abusive incident.

“Stalking is a component of domestic violence,” Stewart said. “You find out a lot of domestic violence victims are harassed either before or after the event.”

Stewart said recognizing stalking behaviors early can help prevent situations from becoming more dangerous.

“Stalking can escalate into a more violent situation,” he said. “If you can catch it early, maybe you can prevent the more violent crime from happening.”

Experts say stalking is often misunderstood. While many people associate stalking with strangers or high-profile cases involving celebrities, victim advocates say the stalker and victim are often people who know each other.

Leona Fitzgerald, a victim assistance professional, said stalking and domestic violence frequently overlap.

“Many victims of stalking that we work with are also suffering in domestic violence situations and vice versa,” Fitzgerald said. “Most of the domestic violence victims that we work with have often been stalked in some form or fashion. And so it’s hard to address one without addressing the other.”

Fitzgerald said stalking can involve more than someone physically following another person. Behaviors can include repeated unwanted contact, monitoring a victim’s whereabouts, cyberstalking, harassment and violations of protective orders.

The upcoming training is being conducted by the Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center, known as SPARC, a national organization focused on stalking prevention and education.

The free, daylong seminar will cover stalking dynamics, common tactics used by offenders, technology used in stalking, risk assessments and strategies for victim safety and investigations.

The training is scheduled for July 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sheriff’s Safety Town.

It is open to professionals who work with stalking and domestic violence cases, including law enforcement officers, probation officers, counselors, therapists, prosecutors, victim assistance coordinators and advocates.

Fitzgerald said bringing professionals together with the same information can improve the response to stalking cases.

“The more information we have, the better we can respond to these situations,” Stewart said.