As a student who studies both criminology and forensic nursing, I became intrigued by the crime of stalking for it is the most difficult crime to prosecute against because it is the hardest to prove. I became involved in preventing stalking when a friend of my mother's and my aunt Tammy's was brutally murdered in front of her seven-year-old daughter by her ex-husband who had been stalking her for over two years, the twist that makes this tale even worse? The stalker was a police officer, a brother in blue. So I decided to take matters into my own hands, I began my own company called S.A.O, which stands for "Stalking Awareness Organization." Now, it is still in the works, for I am funding it on my own, but basically, my goal is to teach seminars across the country and educate college students about this dangerous and deadly crime. We must help raise awareness that stalking is not romantic, it is not cute or funny, it is terrifying and can lead to the end of a person's life in a very untimely and gruesome way.

Stalking is defined as the "repeated", obsessive attention from one person to another. It officially became a crime in the United States about twenty-six years ago in the year 1990, with California and Florida being the very first state to enact stalking laws after the murder of actress Rebecca Schaffer and the attack of actress Theresa Zaldana. In present day 2016, approximately 6.6 million people in the United States alone report being stalked to some degree each year. Out of the 6.6 million, only 10 percent make up celebrity stalking cases, which means the rest are just like you and me, even though we only ever hear about that small ten percent getting media coverage. Statistics show that one out of every six women and one out of every nineteen men will be stalked in their lifetime. Stalking cases have tripled over the past decade due to social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Tinder, Grinder and more. College aged people (18-25) are the prime victim demographic because they are the most vulnerable targets. About 66 percent of female victims and 41 percent of male victims are stalked by a current or former intimate partner.

Less than one-third of states classify stalking as a felony upon first offense and more than one-half of states classify stalking as a felony upon second or subsequent offense or when the crime involves aggravating factors. Such factors include possession of a deadly weapon, violation of a court order or condition of probation or parole, the victim is under 16 sixteen years of age or same victim as prior occasions. Stalking and other forms of Intimate partner violence have risen in the gay community since the legalization of gay marriage. Before gay marriage, many gays were scared and reluctant to report stalking or any form of domestic violence due to fear of judgment and not being taken seriously. But now that marriage is legal and being gay is more accepted now than in past years, more reports are being made. The CDC found that 43.8 percent of lesbians and 30 percent of gay men have experienced or are experiencing stalking, physical violence or rape. But keep in mind, these statistics are from those who have made reports, the numbers are predicted to be much higher.

There are around eight types of stalkers, we have the Rejected Stalker which is often a former intimate partner who has an unhealthy desire to reconcile or exact revenge on their former partner. Friends, family and new love interests of the victim are also in danger with this type of stalker. The relationship with this type of stalker does not have to be intimate. It could be a former friend as well that the stalker wants to reconcile with or may even want to steal the victim's identity and become them out of jealousy. Then there is the Intimacy Seeking Stalker who wants or believes they have a romantic relationship with the victim or has morbid fantasies about the victim. Most of the time the stalker and the victim do not know each other in these cases, and the fantasy is built purely by seeing the victim or a simple hello or smile. The Incompetent Stalker is one who seeks a relationship with someone they know is not interested but forges ahead in hopes of changing the victim's mind. They feel entitled to having this person due to underdeveloped social skills.

Resentful Stalkers intend to frighten the victim, they may have paranoid personalities or delusions. They often feel persecuted against by the victim, and may choose a victim at random to take out their anger on even though the victim may not have done anything to bring about this feeling. Predatory Stalkers/Serial Stalkers prepare for rape and sexual assault. Most of these stalkers suffer from paraphilias and necrophilia. Group Stalking is a form of stalking where a group of like-minded individuals make repeated threats to exact violence due to their personal beliefs. Then the final two are Celebrity Stalking and Cyberstalking which are self-explanatory. Stalkers suffer from what is called "Erotomania" which is also known as "Clerambault Syndrome." It is proven that this syndrome is far more diagnosed in women than it is men. This syndrome causes the stalker to objectify the victim, making them no longer human, but an object they desire that they must obtain and make their own. Other disorders associated with stalkers are Borderline Personality disorder and Schizophrenia. Stalkers tap phone lines, follow you, watch your every move, vandalize your property, leave threatening messages, and sometimes murder you and those you love and may even commit suicide. In Los Angeles, California there is The TMU, otherwise known as the Threat Management Unit. This unit is comprised of detectives and attorneys who specifically specialize in stalking cases and threats to public officials. They are also linked to the MEU, which is the Mental Evaluation Unit that deals with the mental evaluation of the stalkers and those who commit workplace violence. I believe every police departments such as these to deal with this crime, not just LA. We must take this crime seriously, there once was a victim who after many restraining orders that were violated went to the police and asked "what does he have to do, kill me first for you guys to do anything!?" One week later she was found dead, shot to death on her porch. Like the famous words of FBI Profiler John Douglas "All it takes is one misplaced smile to trap you in their fantasy world." Join the fight with me and let's stop stalking today!