We are reaching out to our community for suggestions.
Please help us name it by clicking here to make suggestions and thank you for your continued support of Jodi’s Voice!

The dangers involved with photo geo-tagging and geo-location social media have been making a lot of news lately.  Many people have not considered the dangers of posting such personal information on the web.  The best advice for anyone regardless of age when participating in social media platforms…follow the same advice/rules that we give our children.

Web Photos That Reveal Secrets, Like Where You Live (New York Times)  Adam Savage of Mythbusters details his own mistake of tweeting a photo taken in front of his home.  Within minutes his home address was located via Google Maps and the geotagging embedded in the jpg image.

Protecting your privacy on Facebook offers great tips for ensuring your privacy settings are as safe as possible.

Sociologist Aarti Kalra believes that anonymity on the internet is the primary lure for cyber-stalkers. “The web gives people an opportunity to be faceless — an individual may seem perfectly sweet and nice in real life, but he could be a creep under the shroud of the web, where he or she can be sure that no one knows him or his real identity.

Murder victim’s brother creates site to protect against stalkers

Colorado – A private investigator claims that he was completing his work when he was arrested has brought stalking laws to the forefront of other private investigator’s minds.

Jodi’s Voice Blog Post: Stalking is a (a)crime (b) marketing campaign?

Support H.R. 5662, or the STALKERS Act of 2010 (which stands for Simplifying the Ambiguous Law, Keeping Everyone Reliably Safe Act of 2010) so that anti-stalking laws will be strengthened nationwide, which will also lead to even stricter enforcement, sentencing, and greater public awareness down the road. Sign the petition to show your support by clicking here (http://ow.ly/2jxbH).  Stalking survivors can have their name show up as anonymous for the general public.

Jodi’s Voice currently has a 501(c )3 pending status and is making plans for the future including documentaries, victim resources and awareness campaigns.

If you have not joined us on Facebook and Twitter please do so.

Facebook Support Group: Surviving Stalking

Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Stalking often leads to more dangerous crimes.  21% of victims are physically attacked by the stalker with 46% of victims reporting their biggest fear comes from not knowing what will happen next.

Stalking always leaves its victims feeling terrified, frustrated, isolated, depressed and vulnerable.

Stalking is a crime in all 50 states.

I think most people would agree that the research supports what most people already know.  Stalking is a horrible crime affecting the lives of millions of victims, their families, friends, neighbors and coworkers.   Why then are the victims of this crime further victimized by ignorant advertising agencies, TV producers and even friends who choose to use the word as a joke or marketing campaign?

At least once a week I find one of these examples using stalking in a manner that normalizes the behavior in our society.  This can be done by applying the term to behavior that would not be considered a crime such as running into a family member at the store (who is not stalking you) to be asked jokingly “what are you stalking me?”  With the rise of social media most recently a constant campaign for organizations with a marketing team ignorant to the seriousness of the crime is “Stalk us on Facebook/Twitter/whichever social media platform.”

So that brings me to this question.  What crimes are ok to make light of? Domestic violence? Rape? Child abuse? Assault? None of these are ok to make fun or use in ad campaigns that normalize the behavior.  The behavior is a crime.  It is just that simple.  It is a crime with victims whose lives are forever changed.

This is a similar education I give to these organizations using the term for marketing.  Pretty compelling, right?  Simple.  Common sense, but opens the eyes of someone who simply didn’t know better, right?  Usually, yes.  However, I recently have contacted the Luxor Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas multiple times.   I haven’t been the only one to contact them either.  Many other supporters of the cause and victims have as well.  It’s been weeks since my first contact which would seem like plenty of time to make a change, right?  After all, the response I received from their Twitter account that they would be “re-evaluating their creative direction.”

It’s been several weeks now.  This is the sign in front of their casino on the Las Vegas Strip visited by millions of tourists every year.  I wonder how many of those tourists are victims of stalking or have a close friend/family member that was a victim of stalking.

Just in case the copy above does not convince you the problem of stalking is a real and dangerous one this is a picture of Jodi Sanderholm.  Her stalker took her life on January 5, 2007.  She was with him for at least 5-1/2 hours and likely knew the entire time that she would lose her life that day.

There are many words in the English language that are not offensive maybe you should grab a thesaurus next time.

UPDATE: Click here for the Luxor’s response.

UPDATE: Click here for the latest from Luxor

UPDATE 8/19/2010: The sign is still up at the Luxor.  Luxor advised us via their Twitter account that the design would be changed on 8/12/2010.

Jodi’s Voice currently has a 501(c )3 pending status and is making plans for the future including documentaries, victim resources and awareness campaigns. 

If you have not joined us on Facebook and Twitter please do so at the following links.

Facebook Support Group: Surviving Stalking

Mainstream media is beginning to pick up more stalking stories with celebrity cases pushing the crime into the awareness of many.  Below is a sampling of the stories based on legislative/policy change, safety planning and statistical studies.

• How safe are you from stalkers? This investigative report might surprise you…http://ow.ly/2jxaF
• How to Block a Number from calling your Cell Phone http://ht.ly/2k4Ux
• The Shadow of Fear that Stalkers Leave on their Victims http://ow.ly/2mgsW
• DA gets courts to change policy for people accused of stalking in Summit County.  Offenders will be required to see a judge prior to being released on bond. http://ow.ly/2k48v
• Stalking in College: Women are at a Greater Risk http://ow.ly/2lLTm

Jodi’s Voice will host a Tweet-A-Thon January 5-9, 2011.  We are currently looking for people who would like to help solicit product donations to use as donor raffles and people to help with the tweeting.  Please fill out the volunteer form if you are able to help us.

Spa City Cop Charged with Stalking
SARATOGA SPRINGS — A city police officer surrendered himself to State Police on charges that he stalked a woman, police say.
State troopers arrested Patrick Arpei, 28, Tuesday on a count of fourth-degree stalking, a misdemeanor, State Police Senior Investigator John Brooks of the Wilton barracks said.
Brooks declined to provide specifics about the allegations, but a blotter report showed that police were contacted about the incident at 3:57 p.m. July 20. State Police referred the case to the Saratoga County district attorney’s office, Brooks said.

Can Erin Andrews Stop the stalkers?
A year after she was illegally videotaped in the nude, the ESPN presenter campaigns to beef up U.S. anti-stalking laws in the digital age

Fighting Against Stalking
VIDEO: News coverage on the recent changes in stalking incidences.

Cops’ silence has stalker attack woman 2nd time
July 29: A stalker set ablaze a 21-year-old woman in Nizamabad on Thursday angry at her spurning his romantic overtures. Musula Naresh, 24, of Pochammagally, had been harassing the young woman, Ch. Gouthami, for last six months and he had tried to kidnap and kill her three months ago.

Why We Need the STALKERS Act of 2010
More than three million women in the U.S. are stalked every year — or at least, that’s the minimum number of women who report being followed and harassed — and Andrews is not the first female sports reporter to be stalked. Outside of the sports world, there are countless other women who are harassed by strangers on a daily basis commuting to work or running simple errands, and harassing and stalking is often part of a larger pattern of behavior. Stalkers may also turn violent when confronted, something every stalking victim fears.

Man Receives Life for Stalking His Sister

A Lauderdale County Circuit Court judge honored a request by prosecutors and the victim in an aggravated stalking case to sentence a man to life in prison.
Lauderdale Circuit Court Judge Gil Self sentenced James Keith Larry to life in prison for aggravated stalking and 15 years for criminal mischief with the sentences to be served consecutively.
Larry, 61, of Tuscumbia, was convicted June 16. He was accused of making at least 30 threatening telephone calls and threats to his sister, who lives in Florence, and vandalizing her home with spray paint.

Authorities nab suspect accused of stalking 18-year-old girl
A 29-year-old former surgeon in training at the Medical University of South Carolina has been captured in West Ashley by local authorities in connection with stalking an 18-year-old girl.
Karl Leonard Ehrens, 29, was wanted on first-degree harassment charges after leaving boxes full of stuffed animals and paperwork indicating that he had passed a polygraph test at his victim’s new residence. The girl had already filed a restraining order against Ehrens, as well as numerous reports of his stalking behavior.

Cyber-Stalking Could be a Federal Crime
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Making threats online has become an increasingly popular way for stalkers to get to their victims.
But they will face federal charges if a new law is passed.
The cyberstalking law would make it a federal crime to stalk someone online, increase penalties for stalking kids, create a database of cases, and make it easier for authorities to prosecute cyber-stalking cases.

A big thank you goes out to Carafelli Productions for developing this PSA.

1. Denial – “I am sure he/she is not stalking me.  He/she is just really friendly/persistent/having a hard time with the break up.”

This is what I hear most often from people.  Yet, they have made an effort to reach out to me at this point so they do understand on some level that what they are experiencing is stalking.  As a stalking victim, I skipped this stage.  I knew and understood almost immediately although I did not tell anyone including my husband and the police for almost two months.  I guess that was my denial.  Ignore it and it will go away. 

2.  Anger – “Why me?”

Stalking victims who reach out to me usually at least initially feel like the stalking is in some way their own fault.  This could not be further from the truth.  Stalkers have some bizarre sense of entitlement to their victims.  As with rape victims stalking victims do not choose their fate, rather it is forced upon them.

I have spent the most amount of time in the Anger Phase.  I have been angry that the stalker would do this to me, that the stalker was not fully prosecuted, that I moved out of state, that I moved out of what I thought at the time was my dream house (built for us only a year earlier), that apparently I was targeted based on the stalking advocacy work I have done, and the list goes on.  I have moved in and out of the Anger Phase throughout the past year often.

3.  Bargaining – “He/She wants to talk to/see me one more time.”

 I hear this most often from intimate partner stalking victims.  The stalker has told them if they do this then he/she will leave them alone.  Out of pure desperation for the stalking to stop the victim often believes them.  Too often it is the last meeting the victim ever has as well. 

I did not go through much of a bargaining stage at least with the stalker.  I guess it is due to my work with other victims and understanding that it never does any good.   I bargained with myself by needing to understand and thinking it would make a difference.  I hired a private investigator to tell me about the stalker.  Some people look down on this.  I have even heard it called “stalking the stalker,” but I assure you the P.I. did it legally without following her and via public information.  As a matter of fact, the P.I. was located in another state.   I simply thought by knowing more about who this person was and why she would stalk me I would feel safer.  The conclusion was you can never understand why someone would choose to stalk another person.  It is like trying to understand why Justin Thurber chose to take Jodi’s life.  A sane person simply cannot understand the thought pattern of a stalker.  You cannot assign rational thought patterns to an irrational person.  We did find a very troubled lifestyle and a pathetic person who apparently simply likes to cause problems for people.

 4.  Depression – When your life no longer feels like it is your own it is the most helpless a person can ever feel. 

 Stalking victims have every bit of privacy and independence taken from them.   My husband and I found spyware on our cell phones meaning that every love note, call, argument, etc could have been heard/viewed by the stalker.   It took a few months for us to realize the information was coming from the phones.   I was unable to walk from my car into my office without a security escort and went absolutely nowhere by myself until we moved out of state.  I am a very independent and private person by nature so all of this made for a very hard adjustment. 

5.   Acceptance – Moving on

 By acceptance I do not mean accepting the fact that you are a stalking victim, I mean taking back control of your life.  I have seen victims do this in a variety of ways, but what worked for me was the following.

 I purchased a handgun (three actually) and learned to use it.  A lifelong fear of guns meant nothing anymore.  I wanted to protect myself.  After purchasing the first gun, I spent every day at the range learning to use it safely until I was sure of my skills.  Now I am a great shot.

 I moved.  This is an extreme solution and not possible for everyone, but in my case it was apparent that even though the stalker had been arrested on felony aggravated stalking charges it would not result in a prosecution due in large part to local politics.  The stalker had continued to stalk me after her arrest and informed me that she would not be prosecuted on multiple occasions as the hearing drew near it became apparent that she was correct.  So my family and I left.  We left great jobs and many friends behind, but for us it was the right choice.  We have never looked back either.  Since our relocation, there have been challenges and triumphs, but in the end we are much better off having moved. 

As is the case with any life experience becoming a stalking victim changes you forever.  It makes you a much more private person and much more aware of people’s true intentions.  Is this all bad?  Probably not.  All the changes are not bad though.  It reminded me, and my family, what is truly important in life…each other and taking no moment together for granted. 

Everyone will find his or herown way through the chaos of being a victim  of stalking unfortunately there is no magic bullet to make someone feel safe again.  It takes time and understanding of those close to them.  I have met some of the best people I have ever known since “restarting” my life after being stalked.  Victims must make the choice to first ensure their own safety and then move past the stalking.  Learn from it and realize that for the horrible stalkers that are in our world there are also wonderful people!

“It’s not just celebs who attract stalkers. Over one million UK women are victims. Here, two share their stories…

On first glance, it looked innocent enough. It was a plain white envelope, hand-written and addressed to single mum Ann Moulds.”

Continue reading at: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/fabulous/features/747284/Itrsquos-not-just-celebs-who-attract-stalkers.html

Today marks the third anniversary of the murder of Jodi Sanderholm.  Jodi is terribly missed by her friends and family, but since her death two states (KS & NM) have changed stalking legislation in her name and countless stalking vicitms have been helped by Jodi’s Law and the awareness it has raised.  The law came too late for Jodi, but it came in honor of Jodi! 

Last week’s stalking story recap.

Metuchen man charged with stalking and peering into woman’s house
Scarlet Scuttlebutt
Robert Tennant, 61, was charged with criminal trespassing, peering and stalking after his arrest late Saturday afternoon, Patrolman David Liantonio said. …

Man charged with impersonating Panther
CharlotteObserver.com
By Ely Portillo A man wanted for cyber stalking and suspected of impersonating a Carolinas Panther turned himself in to Union County authorities Monday …

A Peril in War Zones: Sexual Abuse by Fellow GI’s
New York Times
Her ordeal ended with the military equivalent of a restraining order and charges of stalking against the officer. It is one case that highlights the new and …

Internet makes protecting stars even tougher
msnbc.com
And it isn’t just burglary that results from such electronic reservoirs of information. Stalkers can locate targets as well. Paparazzi can zero in on stars. …

Man accused of stalking, burglary waives case to grand jury
UK The Kentucky Kernel
A Lexington man charged with stalking and burglary of a home occupied by female UK students waived his case to the grand jury Tuesday. …

Accused stalker back in court
Rome Sentinel
A 43-year-old man who was fined in City Court just last week for assaulting his ex-girlfriend was back before a judge Monday for stalking the woman in the …

January is ‘Stalking Awareness Month’
Huntsville Item
By Matthew Jackson HUNTSVILLE — January is National Stalking Awareness Month, and the Huntsville Police Department Community Services Division is working to …

Ex-boyfriend held on stalking charge
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
SARASOTA COUNTY – A 40-year-old man stalked an ex-girlfriend and threatened to have the woman and her husband killed, authorities say. …

Cops: Stalker grabbed victim’s butt in the drugstore
The Trentonian
A Belle Meade man was arrested and charged with criminal sexual contact after the victim alleged that his continued stalking and harassment of her ended …

Blogging Against Sexual Violence: Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to …
By SAPAC
As Stalking Awareness Month is just around the corner, this story illustrates the fact that stalking remains an important issue that needs to be addressed. On December 15th, Michael David Barrett, an Illinois insurance executive, …

Stalking « Delicacies
By delicate flower
My son, the Man-child has been the victim of stalking for the last month or more. To a lesser degree, so have I. We have been very careful to document what was happening as well as protect ourselves as we felt necessary. …

Internet safety is a must
Stuttgart Daily Leader
“The bottom line is that thousands of predators and potential stalkers are on-line daily,” said Clint Van Zandt, MSNBC analyst and former FBI profiler. …

Kerry Katona has a stalker! @ Unreality TV
By Lisa McGarry
Kerry Katona has been forced to contact the police after discovering that she has a female stalker. The woman obviously has mental health issues.

Police: Stalker killed grocery store cashier
Atlanta Journal Constitution
By Larry Hartstein The 32-year-old Marietta woman fatally shot Tuesday outside the supermarket where she worked was killed by a man who had been stalking …

Custody row father who murdered Maisie and her mother ‘stalked his ex-wife …
Daily Mail
By Daily Mail Reporter The dad who killed his young daughter and girlfriend before turning the gun on himself also stalked his ex-wife with a crossbow and …

UF Police Officer Accused Of Stalking Woman
News4Jax.com
A University of Florida police officer accused of stalking a woman the past two years was charged with aggravated stalking and obstructing justice, …

Native Americans stalked more than other ethnic groups
Tulsa Native American Times
They noted that violence (eg, battering, sexual assault and stalking) affects Indians in disproportionate numbers to any other race—violence that is mostly …

Felony stalking charge reduced for Twin Lake man
Muskegon Chronicle – MLive.com
By John S. Hausman | Muskegon Chronicle MUSKEGON COUNTY – A felony stalking charge has been reduced to a misdemeanor in the case of Terrance Patrick O’Toole …

Bloodbath father was a woman-hating stalker who torched his ex-wife’s car
Daily Mail
By Kate Loveys and Christian Gysin A father who gunned down his ex-girlfriend and four-year-old daughter had previously stalked his ex-wife with a crossbow …

Guardian Angel found guilty of stalking and sexual harassment
NewsBiscuit (satire)
A Guardian Angel has been found guilty of stalking and harrassment after failing to keep its distance from an Isle of Wight woman. In a landmark ruling Lord …

2010 National Stalking Awareness Month | National Sexual Violence …
“January is National Stalking Awareness Month, a time that challenges our nation to fight this dangerous crime by learning more about it. …

Stalking | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network
The exact definition of stalking varies by state, but in general, stalking refers to “a course of conduct directed at a specific person that involves …

Agency explains: What is stalking?
Albert Lea Tribune
During what is National Stalking Awareness Month in January, advocates are spreading the word of what stalking is and how people can protect themselves …

New Law Cracks Down On Stalkers
Chicago Public Radio
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says stalking is a serious crime that could lead to something worse. MADIGAN: This is not just something that happens …

Jodi’s Voice – Support now! – Twibbon.com
Support Jodi’s Voice – Jodi’s Voice is dedicated to raising awareness on the crime of stalking. Learn more at www.jodisvoice.org.

Audrina Patridge’s obsessed fan sentenced to community service
Examiner.com
The case is not connected to his alleged stalking of Audrina Patridge however. Patridge obtained a restraining order against Loring after he allegedly …

Domestic violence and stalking victims get new legal protections
Chicago Tribune
By Megan Twohey Tribune reporter Victims of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault have new legal protections available to them in Illinois starting …

It’s National Stalking Awareness Month, and Native Americans are …
By admin
Native Americans, especially tribal leaders, tribal attorneys, activists and artists, are stalked more than any other ethnic group in the country. January is National Stalking Awareness Month. Mother Earth Journal will focus on this …

St. Petersburg woman stalked, threatened via cell phone, police say
Tampabay.com
PETERSBURG — A 26-year-old man is accused of stalking a woman and threatening her life using cell phone voice mails and text messages. …

439 UK Cops Disciplined Over Porn & Facebook Stalking // Current
Hundreds of police workers have faced disciplinary action for looking at internet pornography and social networking sites, figures show. More than 400.

Social Media, Social Networking, and Social Electronic Mail Share …
By Social_Media_News
With social media and social networking often described as “a stalkers dream”, many have concerns that the citizens of a global internet are benevolent with their personal information; leading to the threat of stalkers and sexual …

Idol Stalker Denied Bail
antiMUSIC.com
Idol Stalker Denied Bail was a top pop story in April 2009. Here it is again as we recap 2009: (AP) An Australian woman charged with stalking “American …

‘;Ski Mask Rapist’ coming up for parole
Dallas Morning News
The “Ski Mask Rapist” picked his victims carefully, stalking them beforehand and sometimes taunting them by phone afterward. But a plea agreement in 1990 …

Multiple Murder Motive Still Uncertain
YLE News
“However, there is evidence of stalking and harassment well before April. This was a long-term problem, one going back years.” Haapala confirmed to YLE that …

Shaq Accused of Stalking… Again | Binary Basketball
By Admin
Shaq has been accused for stalking. Again. Yes, this isn’t the first time he has been accused of stalking and now it gets a bit more serious. Shaq has been accused of stalking a model by the name of Vanessa Lopez.

Suspect arrested in stalking case > Friendswood Journal > News …
The Grand Jury handed down a felony indictment for the offense of Stalking – Enhanced. He is being held at the Friendswood Municipal jail pending transfer …