Stalking

On this page:

What Is Stalking?    What Stalking Might Look Like   If You Are Being Stalked   Additional Resources

What is Stalking?

Stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a person that causes a person to feel fear. Stalking can happen as a part of domestic violence and other types of abuse, as well.

If someone is making you feel afraid because of their actions, you can speak to an advocate at the Family Safety Center. 

 

Most people are stalked by someone they know, such as a partner, ex-partner, friend, family member, or acquaintance. 

Stalking might look like:

• Unwanted calls, texts, or social media contact.
• Leaving excessive voicemails, letters, or gifts.
• Watching or following the person.
• Approaching someone by showing up where they are.
• Coming by the victim’s home or workplace, or regularly monitoring their location.
• Breaking into the person’s car or home or damaging property.
• Threatening to hurt the victim or someone close to them.
• Using technology to track whereabouts and activity.

Stalking is dangerous and should be taken seriously.

If you are being stalked:

• Review safety planning tips specific to stalking by clicking the buttons below. Visit our safety planning page for more safety planning tools and information. 

             Stalking Safety Plan Tips              Consejos para su Plan de Seguridad – Acecho

• Be sure to log everything on a stalking incident log, including when and where the incident happened, if there were any witnesses, and if the police were called. Keep this in a safe place.
• Consider contacting or coming into the Family Safety Center to meet with an advocate to help you plan for your safety and/or file for an Order of Protection. 

Additional Resources:

• If you prefer not to speak with an Advocate at the Family Safety Center or are unable to contact us, consider completing the Stalking Harassment Assessment and Risk Profile (SHARP) to learn more about the danger you may be in (the assessment takes approximately 15-30 minutes).
• DocuSAFE is a free app created by the National Network to End Domestic Violence that can be used to store evidence of abuse. 

Know that you are not alone and that there is help available.

If you think that you are in an abusive relationship, look at our safety planning page for ways to increase your safety and our Other Help in Nashville page for community support.