Stalking: a psychological assault

College campuses have been the most dangerous places in America when it comes to stalking, according to a local expert on the crime.

On Tuesday, Mt. Hood’s Public Safety office and Title IX team held a talk about stalking, and defensive measures, in the Town & Gown room.

The featured speaker was Michele Scholl, a probation and parole officer and hearing officer for the General Crimes Unit of Washington County.

The presentation was meant to inform students about the threat of stalking on and off campuses, how to identify instances of stalking, and how to deal with stalkers. It’s important information since records show students between the ages of 18 and 24 are most likely to be victimized.

Scholl said that generally, stalking is any unwanted behavior that a stalker persists in. Legally, stalking is “when a person knowingly alarms or coerces another person or a member of that person’s family or household by engaging in repeated and unwanted contact with the other person,” she explained.

She followed up by asking how female members of the audience would feel if they came home to a dozen roses. The general consensus among the audience was feeling flattered.

Scholl then told a story of a woman who divorced her abusive husband, but he kept stalking her. He told her that the day he kills her, he will leave a dozen red roses.

“The history that you’d gone through is gonna change that perspective,” Scholl said of the reaction to such actions.

Stalking consists of more than just following someone around, said Scholl. It includes anything from unwanted texts and voicemails to “coincidentally” showing up to the victim’s workplace or at daycare facilities.

According to Scholl, stalking is a crime in all 50 states, in Washington D.C., and also in most U.S. territories. It usually is a Class A misdemeanor, meaning that a conviction can land a one-year jail sentence, or up to $6,250 in fines. It’s a Class C felony if the offender has a prior conviction, which comes with a maximum of five years in prison or up to $125,000 in fines.

“In Oregon, we have a sentencing guidelines grid. Every felony is assigned a number, based on seriousness,” said Scholl. “Aggravated murder is an 11; stalking is an 8. It is very high up there because of how much of a risk”it is, she said.

According to Scholl, 7.5 million people are stalked yearly in the U.S. Fifteen percent of women and six percent of men report each year that they or their families were in danger because of stalkers.

Types of  stalkers

Scholl described five different types of stalkers: the intimacy seeker; predatory stalker; incompetent suitor; resentful stalker; and rejected stalker.

The intimacy seeker is usually the celebrity stalker or a mild acquaintance of the victim. The seeker believes that the victim is a “soul-mate: and that they belong together. They misinterpret casual greetings and niceties as positive signals or affirmations of love.

Predatory stalkers are methodical. They “observe and study” their victims, said Scholl. They know their victims’ routines well, and are often planning a sexual attack. The predatory stalker doesn’t usually make contact with a victim before an attack.

An incompetent suitor often has a “fixation or a sense of entitlement to an intimate relationship with those who have attracted their interest,” said Scholl. They recognize that the victim is disinterested, but feel that their behavior will change the victim’s mind. An incompetent suitor is usually not very social, and has a lower IQ, she said.

Resentful stalkers want to scare and distress their victims. They are often paranoid and delusional, and they believe they have a responsibility to pursue specific victims or groups of people. The Unabomber (a man found to have mailed several letter bombs to authorities) was a resentful stalker.

The rejected stalker is attempting to fix a broken relationship, Scholl said. Stalking behavior usually starts at the end of a relationship. The rejected is the most persistent and invasive of all, she said. They often seek to coerce their victims and are particularly dangerous because they personally know their victim.

Often, a stalker will use digital methods to trail their victims. They follow victims on social media and often use the GPS on their victims’ phones to keep track.

Scholl said there are services like flexispy.com and mspy.com that sell software that can be installed on a smartphone so that the stalker gains access to calls, texts, contacts, location services, and everything else on the phone.

How to respond

There are a number of things one can do if threatened by a stalker. For immediate threats, the best thing to do is call 911 immediately. Scholl said to “trust your instincts,” and “don’t downplay danger if you feel you are not safe.”

Any threat a stalker makes is to be taken seriously. “If they threaten to kill you, believe them,” said Scholl. When a stalker makes threats of suicide or murder, the victim’s risk is especially high.

Victims are encouraged to keep evidence of stalking, saving emails, texts, calls, and voicemails, as well as keeping a log of encounters. Obtaining a restraining order or Stalking Protective Order are good ways to help keep victims safer.

“We know that these are just pieces of paper… but what it does do is it gives us a tool,” said Scholl. “It’s not guaranteed; that’s why the victim has to be the one to make that decision (to obtain a restraining or stalking order).”

Set a clear boundary, urged Scholl. “Do not communicate with your stalker or attempt to communicate with them after that point. If you do, you’re breaking your own boundary, so do not communicate with them – you’re giving them what they’re seeking, and I guarantee you they’re gonna continue with that,” she said.

The effects of stalking on a victim are usually more psychological than physical, Scholl said.

Victims are generally more fearful and sometimes begin to display symptoms of PTSD. A 2013 study from Washington and Lee University found that psychological trauma on victims was almost the same as those of victims of sexual assaults. Stalking victims get traumatized even when a perpetrator never makes physical contact.

Anyone who feels threatened by a stalker on the MHCC campus is encouraged to call 911, and to notify Public Safety in Room 2330. Victims may call Public Safety at 503-491-7310 for non-emergencies, and 503-491-7911 for emergencies.