When Stalking Becomes a Woman’s Nightmare-Home Security Advice for Women Victimized by Stalkers | By Jordan Frankel | By Jordan Frankel

From ex-boyfriends to complete strangers, women who become the fascination of a stalker can turn into a living nightmare very quickly. Such was the case for a young woman after she declined a date with a man.

According to the Washington Post article, the man began calling his female victim repeatedly. The calls eventually turned into threatening text messages and letters. This went on for over five years. During that time the woman reached out to police 125 times. It wasn’t until the woman was attacked and stabbed by her stalker one evening that justice finally prevailed. Despite her stalker being sentenced to life in prison, the victim of this terrifying ordeal reports she is “still suffering every day” because of what she had to go through. 

The fear that stalkers instill in their female victims is often relentless. As a result, women involved in the stalking nightmare become hypervigilant to the point of isolation. Though vigilance is an important to everyone’s safety and security, everyone deserves a space where they can feel safe and secure. For most people that safe place is their home. But for victims of stalkers, not even their home feels safe. 

If you’re a woman who’s having trouble feeling safe in your own home because of the threatening behavior of a stalker, then you’ll want to be sure to read this article. In addition to providing data on stalking, you will also learn some important home security tips that can help you protect against your stalker and feel safer at home. 

Stalking Statistics in the United States

According to Merriam-Webster, stalking is defined as “the act or crime of willfully and repeatedly following or harassing another person in circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to fear injury or death especially because of express or implied threats.” 

Stalking has become such an issue for women in the U.S. that the United States Department of Justice declared January National Stalking Awareness Month. Data collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics also shows what a problem stalking is in our nation:

• Women are at greater risk of being stalked than men.
• Stalking risk is highest for women who are divorced or separated.
• Approximately half of all stalking victims receive at least one unwanted contact each week.
• Approximately 11% of victims are stalked 5 years or more.
• 62% of women who are stalked are done so by a current or former intimate partner.

1. S. Stalking Laws

Not every state in the U.S. provides women with the level of protection they need against stalkers. This is especially true for women who feel their lives are in danger as a result of their stalker’s behavior. It is up to the victim to provide proof of a pattern of behavior that is harassing or threatening in nature. This is not always as easy as it sounds, as some stalkers are very careful when it comes to their intimidation tactics. 

Like the case mentioned above, all too often it is not until a stalker breaks into his victim’s residence, physically or sexually assaults her, or kills her that the perpetrator is brought to justice. Though fortunate that the woman in the above-mentioned story survived, it is nonetheless a tragedy, as it took 5 years of torment and a brutal, life-threatening attack before the perpetrator was incarcerated.

Home Security Advice for Women Victimized by Stalkers

If you have become a stalker’s sick obsession, it is crucial that you take the steps necessary to protect against the threatening behavior of your stalker. The following are a few effective home security measures that security expert, Jordan Frankel, recommends you put in place immediately.

Security Measure #1: Reinforce the entry doors and windows of your home with security devices designed to prevent break-ins. Your main entry doors and windows are your home’s most vulnerable security points—even when they are locked. To prevent a forcible entry by a stalker or other criminal, you must equip all entry doors that swing inward with a security door brace like the OnGARD security door brace designed and manufactured by Global Security Experts, Inc. When installed and engaged, such a device will make it next to impossible for your stalker to bust through your door. Be sure to click on the link and watch the video to see just how effective this simple device can be at keeping a bad guy out of your home. 

To protect windows and the panes of sliding glass doors from being broken by an intruder, it is important to line them with BurglarGARD glass protection film. Installed on the inside of glass panes, glass protection film creates an invisible barrier that has been proven to withstand extreme forces such as strikes by rocks, bricks, a baseball bat, and even a hammer. For a video demonstration of this innovative home security device, click on the following link: BurglarGARD glass protection film.

Security Measure #2: Get a restraining order against your stalker. A restraining order is a court order issued by a judge that prohibits your stalker from contacting you or coming within a certain distance from you, your home, or place of business. A restraining order also often allows the victim to record all contact, including phone calls, with the perpetrator. It also prohibits the stalker from possessing a firearm.

Though a necessary protective measure to take, you must keep in mind that a restraining order cannot prevent your stalker from contacting you. It only makes it ILLEGAL for your stalker to do so, which gives you a little more leverage when it comes to your stalker’s behavior. All any prohibited contact your stalker engages in will be considered a violation of the restraining order and give the police reason to arrest and take him or her to jail.

Step 3: Collect every shred of evidence you can against your stalker. When it comes to stalking, the burden of proof is on the victim. Before a restraining order can be approved, the person being stalked must provide sufficient evidence of the threatening and harassing behavior of the stalker. 

To prove your case, you must document every incident as accurately and thoroughly as possible. Such evidence is critical to your case and may include such things as text messages, emails, voice mail messages, social media posts, video recordings, eyewitnesses, and even simple logs. Be sure to save and print a copy of every message you receive from your stalker along with copies of messages you have sent to that person in which you have asked him or her to STOP. You should also get in the habit of keeping a log of the number of times you are contacted by the person.

In addition to collecting your evidence, it is just as important each inappropriate contact you have with your stalker to the police. Each time you do a record of the report will be kept on file, which can be used to support your case in court.

Don’t Let a Stalker Jeopardize Your Security and Safety—Protect Yourself!

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own home. If you are finding that difficult because of the actions of a stalker, you can restore your peace of mind by implementing the above home security measures. Don’t wait to see if things get better. Protect yourself today!