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How do you know if you are being stalked?
Posted: 01.28.2013 at 5:58 PM
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KIRKSVILLE, MO -- January is National Stalking Awareness Month and law enforcement wants you to know the signs.
6.6 million people are stalked in every year with victims being mostly women and teens.
Over the last few years, electronic stalking has become more popular than person to person contact due to Facebook, texting, e-mails, and phone calls.
Either way law enforcement says repeating unwanted attention or conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel uncomfortable or fear is stalking.
Tom Johnson of Truman State University Public Safety said if you feel you are being harassed or stalked the best thing to do is to set a boundary to stop the stalker before it gets worse.
"A lot of times we tell people to tell that specific person that you don't want this anymore. A lot of times that takes care of the problem by saying you don't want to talk to them or make contact with them anymore. Now, if it goes beyond that and you've already set a boundary, then you need to take some action," Johnson said.
Johnson said if the stalking becomes more of a threat or a danger to your life you need to contact or make a report with police to do an investigation to see if the stalker needs medical help or for charges or a restraining order to be filed.