Message from Sheriff Ed Gonzalez:
The Sheriff’s Office recognizes Stalking Awareness Month and advocates for everyone’s right to feel safe in their lives and communities.
Stalking is a pattern of predatory behavior that causes a victim to feel fear for their well-being or safety. It’s often linked to intimate partner violence and can have a significant traumatic effect on its victims. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, nearly half of stalking victims felt fear of not knowing what would happen next and experienced at least one unwanted contact with their perpetrator per week.
Last year we launched a Behavioral Threat Management Unit to tackle stalking and domestic violence incidents with a stalking nexus. The goal of the unit is to recognize and respond to threatening behaviors and to prevent volatile situations from escalating into violence.
We strive to be proactive and work toward preventing tragedies from occurring in the first place. The unit, led by Brad Rudolph, works through filed reports with a stalking nexus, carefully reviewing each case and thoroughly analyzing each piece of the puzzle. The unit’s investigator and analyst assess the circumstances from the stalking behavior to the perpetrator’s history and propensity for violence. In 2020, the unit reviewed nearly 2,000 incident reports and investigated over 30 harassment cases.
Stalking behaviors can include:
- Making unwanted phone calls
- Sending unsolicited or unwanted letters or e-mails
- Following the victim or waiting at places for them
- Inflicting property damage
- Leaving unwanted items or gifts
- Posting information or spreading rumors about the victim on the internet, in a public place, or by word of mouth
Because the crime of stalking takes place over a period of time, the unit encourages victims to keep a detailed log of the incidents that have been occurring. Even if the victim is not interested in pursuing criminal charges at the time, maintaining a log will be beneficial to law enforcement if the behavior increases or gets worse in the future.
Investigators conduct a threat assessment that focuses on identifying what are called “pre-incident indicators” or behaviors of concern to establish a pattern. Threat assessment is an evolving process where pertinent information is added and considered in real-time. An initial assessment may change significantly after a few pieces of critical information come to the surface. Several individual factors are considered and weighed, including the suspect’s mental and physical health, financial stability, support system and potential triggers. These are critical components of a meaningful threat assessment process.
The unit’s findings are often discussed at roundtable meetings with leading domestic violence partners and service organizations, including the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council and Domestic Violence High Risk Team. This coordinated response against domestic violence offers additional perspective on the best path forward for each case and helps foster collaborations that maximize resources and strategies to keep the victim safe.
The intervention approach varies, but it always starts with research and an open conversation with the victim. This established communication builds rapport and instills confidence and comfort in the process.
Some cases will generate arrests, but in other cases, investigators may pursue emergency housing for the victim and a protective order against the perpetrator. Other times, they may approach it from a mental health standpoint. The unit stays involved in the investigation as the victim receives support from our partners who connect them to resources.
Let’s raise our collective voices against these incidents before they escalate into harm. As a community, we can keep an eye out for potential victims and pay attention to whether a situation seems dangerous for a friend, colleague, or family member. When you suspect something is happening, trust your instincts and say something.
Below are resources if you want to report stalking victimization:
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If you are in immediate danger, call or text 911.
- HCSO Behavioral Threat Management Unit: 713-274-4694
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National Domestic Violence Hotline: Call 1-800-799-7233 or if you're unable to speak safely, you can log onto thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 22522.
- Houston Area’s Women Center’s 24/7 Hotline: 800-256-0551
We encourage victims to come to us for assistance or to reach out to one of the many organizations in our region whose mission is to end domestic violence for all.
We stand together against stalking. We are a community. And we are here to support you.
