Safety & Resistance

You can stand up to stalking and take steps to regain control over your safety. And you can get help at UConn.

Stalking: Safety and Resistance Strategies

• Legally notify the stalker to stop. An attorney or you can send a registered letter to the stalker stating they must stop the behavior immediately.
• Notify law enforcement and the State’s Attorney. Request that law enforcement agencies log your complaint each time you call whether they respond or not. Request a copy of the report.
• Obtain a Protective Order or Restraining Order. You will need to go to court to obtain this. While the stalker may not respect the order, the police are required to make an arrest if the order is violated. The Dean of Students, UConn Police, Community Standards and OIE can provide additional information about protective and restraining orders.
• Document everything. Record any information that you or any witnesses can provide. Use the Tracking Form to record any or all details.
• Tell everyone about your stalker. Give friends, neighbors, coworkers and family members a description of the stalker. Ask them to watch out for them, document they witness, and give you a written account for your records.
• Take pictures. When you see the stalker, try to take a photo or videotape if it’s safe to do so.
• Press charges. Call the police each time the stalker breaks a law. The stalker should be arrested, bonded, and then released. Request that one of the terms of the bond be that the stalker may not have any contact with you at all. Obtain copies of all documents and the name of the judge handling your case, as well as the arresting officer.
• Save all communications. Save and date all cards, letters, notes, envelopes, e-mails, social media messages and posts, and recorded messages that are from the stalker.
• Keep all legal documents. Obtain copies of warrants, protective orders, restraining orders, court orders, etc.
• Make it hard for your stalker to find you:
  • Change your routine. Alter travel routes.
  • Obtain a post office box.
  • Don’t share or publish your address and phone number. Inform professional organizations, friends and family that they are to provide no one with information about you.
  • Call the Social Security Office and request that Social Security numbers be changed if you can prove that the stalker is using them to find you.
  • Post a “No Trespassing” sign on the edge of your property where it is clearly visible.
  • Report any threatening calls to the telephone company and police.
  • Report all threats sent by mail to law enforcement.
• If you move:
  • Don’t ask the post office to forward your mail. Have them hold it for you.
  • Take all important records with you, such as your (and your children’s) medical, financial, and academic records, Social Security cards, green cards, passports, driver’s licenses, etc.
  • Pick up or forfeit deposit money on apartments.
• Take a self-defense class. Even if you never use the techniques you learn, self-defense classes can help you feel empowered, confident and clear-minded.
  • The UConn Police Department offers Rape Aggression Defense (RAD), a national program of realistic self-defense tactics and techniques. For more information on RAD, contact UConn Police Department at 860-486-4800.