Keeping Up With The Web

2. Read the text

Cyberstalking and Law Enforcement: Keeping Up With The Web

by J. A. Hitchcock

July/August 2000 issue of Link-UP

Four years ago, the word cyberstalking hadn't even been coined yet. No one knew what to call it then; some called it online harassment, online abuse or cyber-harassment. And we're not talking two people arguing with each other or calling each other bad names. These were incidents where it had gone beyond an annoyance and had become frightening. As more and more incidents became known and victims reached out to law enforcement for help, all they received were either blank stares or were told to turn off their computer. States didn't have laws in place to protect victims and their harassers kept up the harassment, escalating sometimes to real-life stalking situations.

So, what is cyberstalking? It's when an online incident that spirals so out of control, it gets to a point where the victim fears for their life.

Case example

In 1999, "Nanci" went into a Worcester, Massachusetts romance chat room. Another chatter commented that he did not like her username. She defended herself and soon the two began arguing with each other in the chat room. But the argument didn't end. Each time Nanci tried to log onto the chat room, her harasser was there, waiting for her, and became more aggressive. At one point, he told her he'd hired someone else in the chat room to beat her up; another time he posted information he'd found out about her online, who her father was and where she lived, then said he wouldn't be happy until she was "six feet under the ground."

He'd become a cyberstalker.

Justifiably horrified, Nanci went to her local police, who basically laughed at her and told her there was nothing to be done. Yes, even with the implied death threat. The harasser became more aggressive and began e-mailing or Instant Messaging Nanci, telling her what kind of car she was driving, where she'd been earlier that day, and the name of her daughter. Nanci went to the State Police, the county District Attorney, then the State Attorney General. Each one pointed fingers at the other, claiming they couldn't help her, but that the other department should.

Nanci finally hired a lawyer, filed a civil suit, then contacted local media. When she appeared in court with TV journalists following her, the D.A. backed down and began helping her. Charges were finally filed against her cyberstalker and a trial date has been set for later this year.

But it shouldn't have gone that far.

"Cyberstalking often receives a low priority in computer crime cases," says Greg Larson, Vice President of Internet Crimes, Inc., "Police departments usually have limited manpower for computer crimes, so in importance, these cases seem to put on the back burner until a serious incident occurs."

WHAT LAW ENFORCEMENT IS DOING NOW

Law enforcement agencies now know that cyberstalking is a very real issue that needs to be dealt with, from local police departments to state police, the FBI, and US Postal Inspection Service, among others. Many are asking their officers to learn how to use the net and work with online victim groups such as WHOA (Women Halting Online Abuse), SafetyEd and CyberAngels. Others are attending seminars on cyberstalking being held throughout the country by companies such as Advanced Professional Seminars. And many law enforcement agencies are turning to companies like Internet Crimes, Inc. for one-day workshops where their officers can learn how to track down cyberstalkers and how to handle victims.

"I've found there is a need and a desire on the part of law enforcement to gain skills in the areas of combating online crime," comments Henry Quinlan, founder of Advanced Professional Seminars. "The future presents some interesting problems for law enforcement, especially in the area of recruiting people with computer skills."

Larson finds law enforcement is willing to learn, to grow and to do what they swore to do: Protect and Serve - online and offline.