SPARCing Conversations | Stalking Part 2

Today, we sit down with Julia Holtemeyer from SPARC to take a deeper dive into Stalking behaviors, definitions, and family/friend tips for survivors of stalking.

SPARC (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center) is a

federally funded project providing education and resources about the crime of stalking. SPARC aims to enhance the response to stalking by educating the professionals tasked with keeping stalking victims safe and holding offenders accountable. To stay up-to-date on SPARC’s resources and offerings, follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter) @FollowUsLegally and/or subscribe to our quarterly newsletter. SPARC does not provide direct services to victims. We recommend that stalking victims work with a local victim advocate, and the Victim Connect hotline can help connect victims with one. Local victim advocates can help plan for safety, discuss legal options, and connect victims with additional services. Victim Connect can be contacted at https://victimconnect.org/ for online messaging and information, and by phone at 1-855-484-2846. Local domestic violence and sexual assault support services/organizations often work with stalking victims/survivors, even when those victimizations are not part of the stalking. Unfortunately, there are no hotlines and few support service organizations that specifically work with victims/survivors of stalking. The list below includes specific resources mentioned in the podcast and links to learn more about stalking: · Documentation Log: Sample log to help track stalking incidents · Safety Planning Strategies: Considerations for safety planning with stalking victims · Identifying Stalking Behaviors: Specific questions to help identify stalking behaviors · Media portrayals of stalking: More information about how movies and TV portray stalking · Awareness Videos: Short videos on a variety of topics around stalking · Supporting Friends and Loved Ones Experiencing Stalking: Resources to help support loved ones being stalked · National Stalking Awareness Month: January 2025 is the 21st annual National Stalking Awareness Month, help us raise awareness this year and make it the loudest one yet · Resources for Professionals: Guides, checklists, tools for professionals supporting stalking victims and holding offenders accountable (victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, corrections, campus professionals, and more) · Stalking & Harassment Assessment & Risk Profile (SHARP): Free, online risk assessment tool for stalking · Recorded SPARC Trainings: Dive deeper and learn more about stal