YOUNGSTOWN Radio topic will be stalking

Stalkers don't always start out being violent, but that can change.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Detective Sgt. Delphine Baldwin-Casey, of the Youngstown Police Department, and Paula LaRue, a criminal justice security instructor, have seen it all.
They have seen the threatening letters, photographs, unwanted visits and continuous following done by stalkers. And they have seen the fearful, dejected look in the eyes of the stalkers' victims.
Casey has been investigating stalking cases in the Youngstown area for more than five years. LaRue, who teaches at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, Mich., has written a book on the subject after being approached by several of her students with stories of being stalked. On Friday the women will come together at 8 a.m. on WASN 1330 AM radio to discuss the severity of stalking crimes and how they should be addressed. The program will be simulcast on WGFT 1500 AM.
Webster's dictionary defines stalking as the act of pursuing prey or quarry stealthily or under cover, but LaRue and Casey know that can include a list of methods when translated to the human realm of upset ex-lovers and fixated strangers.
Some of the behavior
Stalkers, they say, have been known to make hundreds of calls daily to their victims, send nude photos, break into their homes and physically threaten individuals. Some of the cases gradually progress to crimes of domestic violence, rape and murder.
But not all stalkers show signs of violence in the beginning. LaRue said it is more common to be stalked by someone known to the victim, and that often begins with flowers, consistent gifts of affection and a flood of unwarranted and unwanted attention. In these situations, she said, the victim often takes the attention as simple affection or the inability of an ex-lover to let go of the relationship, allowing the situation to escalate to a potential violent episode down the line.
"Generally speaking, the stalker wants to be a part of the victim's life," said LaRue. "If they can't be a positive part of the victim's life, then they will become a negative part of the victim's life."
Casey said it is important to notice when an individual's actions have reached a level where it can be considered stalking.
"You have to look at what a normal person's actions would be in a relationship," she said. "In a breakup, for example, everyone goes through a healing, but when it becomes an obsession, that conduct is not normal."
Misconception
Casey said one misconception that needs to be dispelled is that stalking is a crime reserved for the rich and famous. LaRue said about 1.4 million people are stalked annually on a national level -- about 1 million women and 400,000 men.
According to Casey, Youngstown police recorded 58 cases of stalking in 2002 and a combined 186 reports for the three years before 2002. As on a national level, she said, locally women are more likely to be stalked than men, but the actions of the female stalker differ slightly from that of a man.
The male stalker tends to focus almost exclusively on the one person he is stalking, Casey said. Females, she said, target the individual and those close to him. They say men are also less likely to report being stalked.
Serious business
Regardless of whom a person is being stalked by -- male, female, acquaintance or stranger, LaRue and Casey say it should be taken seriously and certain steps followed, starting with making objections to the behavior.
"In the cases I have investigated and from what I have seen, it is very important that the person being stalked tells the stalker very clearly that the attention and advances are not wanted," said Casey.
LaRue said that if contact continues after that, the victim should contact authorities and follow through with all charges. She said victims should also inform everyone around them of the behavior and keep well-documented accounts of all contact from the stalker.
jgoodwin@vindy.com