Stalking topic of domestic violence meeting

MOSES LAKE - Stalkers may be more prevalent than one would think.

The Columbia Basin Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Consortium holds its monthly meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Jan. 19, on the fourth floor of Samaritan Hospital.

Stalking is a key item on the agenda, said Roberta Anderson, coordinator of the consortium.

The meeting is open to the public.

The featured speaker is Wendy Atkinson, a stalking victim from Boise. She will talk about gaps in service she experienced there and how services in Grant County can help victims handle stalking crimes, from the initial 9-1-1 call to a prosecution, said Anderson.

Any unwanted contact that causes fear qualifies as stalking, including phone calls or any other kind of repeated unwanted contact, said Anderson.

The U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated that 3.4 million people identified themselves as stalking victims between 2005 and 2006.

The justice department's survey classified stalking victims as experiencing at least one stalking behavior - such as receiving unwanted phone calls, being spied on or followed, or receiving unwanted presents - on at least two separate occasions, while fearing for their safety or the safety of a family member.

Grant County has a pretty well-coordinated effort to address stalking, but it's important that stalking victims document the unwanted contact, she said.

When multiple counties are involved - if a victim of stalking lives in Grant County, but works in Adams, Douglas or Lincoln counties and experience stalking there, for instance - multiple law enforcement agencies or prosecutors may be involved, which requires greater coordination, said Anderson, adding that many people don't realize that some behaviors may qualify as stalking.

"I think (stalking) is committed a lot more than it gets reported," she said.