January is National Stalking Awareness Month and the Michigan State Police (MSP) is educating citizens on how to identify stalking and how to report this serious crime.
According to MSP, stalking is defined as a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment of another individual that would cause a reasonable person to feel frightened, imitated, threatened, or harassed.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 46 percent pf stalking victims experienced at least one unwanted contact per week and nearly three in four stalking victims actually know their offender. There are many resources available to help victims.
The national Center of Victims of Crime has a comprehensive list of resources on their website at www.victimsofcrime.org. If you think you have been a victim of a stalker, do not hesitate to contact law enforcement right away.
– Caitlyn Burry
