National Stalking Awareness Month observed in January
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<p class="p1">Union County State’s Attorney <a href="http://unioncountyil.gov/sa/personnel/" target="_blank">Tyler R. Edmonds</a> is alerting the public that January is National Stalking Awareness Month: a time to focus on a crime that affects 3.4 million victims a year. </p><p class="p1">The theme of this year’s observance is “Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It.” The goal is to challenge the nation to fight this dangerous crime by learning more about it.</p><p class="p1">Stalking is a crime in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, yet many victims and criminal justice professionals underestimate its seriousness and impact. </p><p class="p1">In one of five cases, stalkers use weapons to harm or threaten victims, and stalking is one of the significant risk factors for homicide in abusive relationships. </p><p class="p1">Victims suffer anxiety, social dysfunction, and severe depression at much higher rates than the general population, and many lose time from work or have to move as a result of their victimization.</p><p class="p1">Stalking is difficult to recognize, investigate and prosecute, Edmonds stated in a news release. </p><p class="p1">Unlike other crimes, stalking is not a single, easily identifiable crime but a series of acts, a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause that person fear. </p><p class="p1">Stalking may take many forms, such as assaults, threats, vandalism, burglary or animal abuse, as well as unwanted cards, calls, gifts or visits. </p><p class="p1">One in four victims reports that the stalker uses technology, such as computers, global positioning system devices or hidden cameras, to track the victim’s daily activities. </p><p class="p1">Stalkers fit no standard psychological profile, and many stalkers follow their victims from one jurisdiction to another, making it difficult for authorities to investigate and prosecute their crimes. </p><p class="p1">Communities that understand and recognize stalking, however, can support victims and combat the crime.</p><p class="p1">The Union County state’s attorney’s office encourages community members to report incidents of stalking and promote awareness and public education about stalking during the annual observance. </p><p class="p1">For more information, contact the state’s attorney’s office at 833-7216. Additional information is also available at www.stalkingawarenessmonth.org and www.ovw.usdoj.gov.</p>