Stalking & Intimate Partner Violence (01/24)

Stalking is a prevalent, dangerous, and often misunderstood crime. This webinar, presented for the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, explores the dynamics of stalking, focusing on the highly contextual nature of the crime by discussing common tactics used by perpetrators, stalking’s co-occurrence with domestic violence as well as tools to plan for victim safety and hold offenders accountable.

Stalking: Lethality Risk Factors (01/24)

Stalking inflicts severe emotional and psychological harm on victims, often causing heightened anxiety, fear, and a pervasive sense of insecurity. Stalking serves as a significant risk factor for intimate partner homicide, as it often indicates escalating violence and a heightened level of danger within the relationship. This webinar, hosted by the Domestic Violence Resource for Increasing Safety and Connection (DV RISC), highlights the research behind stalking, illustrates how stalking is flagged in some IPV risk assessments, and identifies practical steps that can be taken once it is indicated on a risk assessment.

A Course of Exploitation: The Intersection of Stalking and Sex Trafficking (01/24)

When offenders engage in a course of conduct that includes sexual exploitation, they perpetrate dangerous and often misidentified and misunderstood crimes, including stalking and sex trafficking. Both crimes are highly contextual in nature and require a nuanced analysis of the relationship between the offender and the victim, as well as the various tactics utilized by abusers to control, intimidate, and traumatize victims with impunity. Stalking behaviors are used to force or coerce individuals to engage in commercial sexual activities or to intimidate and prevent them from engaging with the criminal justice system. This presentation provides strategies to improve the identification of these “course of conduct” crimes, increase offender accountability through successful investigations and prosecutions, and minimize further harm to victims and survivors by ensuring they are connected with meaningful services and tools to plan for their safety.

“Totally Stalking You”: How Stalking is Normalized and How We Can Stop It (01/24)

From popular media to casual conversations, the crime of stalking is consistently minimized and misrepresented. While this normalization does not cause stalkers to stalk, the vast scope of misrepresentation contributes to an environment in which stalking becomes harder to identify, respond to, and/or adjudicate. Identifying and assessing stalking – and its dangerousness – requires us to recognize and reflect on the messages we’ve received and how we might combat the misperceptions that can plague our response efforts. Through media examples, this webinar explores different ways that stalking is misconstrued and normalized, examines the impacts of this normalization, and offers suggestions for how to combat this misinformation.

Stalking Survivors Speak: What Survivors Want You to Know to Enhance Your Response to Stalking (01/24)

Stalking survivors are the experts on what it’s like to be stalked — and what responders can do to help. This webinar features a panel of stalking survivors and activists who will discuss their own experiences. They will reflect on what was helpful, challenges they encountered, and how victim service providers and criminal justice responders can better enhance stalking victim safety. SPARC Director Jennifer Landhuis moderates this panel, which includes National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM) founder Debbie Riddle and more inspiring and insightful speakers.

Planning for a Successful National Stalking Awareness Month (11/23)

January 2024 is the 20th Annual National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM) — and we need your help to make it the loudest one yet! This webinar highlights ready-to-use resources, programs, and strategies to raise awareness in your programs and communities this NSAM and beyond.

Stalking and Intimate Partner Violence (10/23)

Nearly half stalking offenders are current or former intimate partners. All stalkers can be dangerous, but current/former intimate partners are generally more threatening, violent, and interfering than other stalkers and may stalk their victims before, during, and/or after the relationship. It is important to identify stalking separate from and in addition to concurring intimate partner violence. In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), this webinar highlights the significant connections between stalking and intimate partner violence.

Context is Key: Recognizing and Responding to Stalking (10/23)

Stalking is criminal, traumatic, dangerous and often misunderstood. This webinar provides an introduction to the crime of stalking, focusing on the definition, prevalence, dynamics, behaviors, and intersections with other victimizations (including intimate partner violence). This recurring webinar is offered quarterly to provide foundational knowledge on the crime of stalking.

Supporting LGBTQ+ Stalking Victims (08/23)

When responding to and supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) stalking victims, most of the same stalking information, behaviors, risks, and safety planning considerations apply as when working with the general population. In addition, it is critical to consider specific issues that may affect LGBTQ+ stalking victims. In this webinar, SPARC and FORGE discuss working with LGBTQ+ individuals who may be experiencing stalking and our collaboratively published Guide on the same topic.

Context is Key: Recognizing and Responding to Stalking (07/23)

Stalking is criminal, traumatic, dangerous and often misunderstood. This webinar provides an introduction to the crime of stalking, focusing on the definition, prevalence, dynamics, behaviors, and intersections with other victimizations (including intimate partner violence). This recurring webinar is offered quarterly to provide foundational knowledge on the crime of stalking.

Stalking is a prevalent, dangerous, and often misunderstood crime and individuals ages 18-24 experience the highest rate of stalking. This presentation explores stalking on college campuses by discussing the dynamics of stalking, common tactics used by perpetrators, stalking’s co-occurrence with other victimizations, and the importance of looking beyond one discrete incident to fully explore any related pattern of behavior.

Risk Assessment in Stalking Cases (04/23)

Stalking is a high risk factor for intimate partner homicide. Building an effective stalking case means asking the right questions, collecting needed evidence, and constantly assessing for victim safety. In this session, SPARC partners with the Domestic Violence Resource for Increasing Safety and Connection (DV RISC), exploring strategies to assess risk and promote victim safety by focusing on the diverse tactics stalkers may utilize, documentation strategies, and safety options for victims and survivors.

Stalking & Sexual Violence: Understanding the Intersections Webinar (04/23)

Sexual violence and stalking are both prevalent, commonly misunderstood, and severely underreported victimizations. In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, this webinar explores the intersection of stalking and sexual violence, focusing on similarities, co-occurrence, and strategies to support victims and survivors.

Readily Identifying and Effectively Responding to Stalking: A Resource for Judicial Officers (03/23)

Stalking is a crime that warrants special attention by courts because victims report experiencing stalking at much higher rates than the justice system identifies it. Stalking can appear in any type of case and so judicial officers should consider stalking in all types of legal proceedings; it is particularly important to look for indicators when the parties know one another and/or there is evidence of ongoing harmful contact. Whichever type of case stalking occurs in, judicial officers are encouraged to make specific findings of fact regarding stalking and issue detailed orders designed to stop stalking behaviors, hold offenders accountable, and prevent dangerous consequences. This webinar will assist judicial officers in identifying stalking behaviors and effectively responding to stalking as a standalone issue and as it intersects with other family and civil court cases.

Stalking Charges: An Opportunity, Not an Afterthought (02/23)

In this webinar, participants are encouraged to view an offender’s conduct against a victim through a holistic—rather than episodic—lens and participants learn how stalking charges can provide the critical link between seemingly isolated instances. After discussing common stalking behaviors, presenters discuss how criminal justice system actors and allied professionals can enhance their response, including methods for investigating and prosecuting stalking offenses. Instead of considering stalking crimes to be too complex or as an afterthought to other offenses, participants will view these charges as key to holding offenders accountable for the full scope of their criminality.

Stalking and Older Adults (01/23)

We all have a role to play in identifying stalking and supporting victims and survivors. To commemorate National Stalking Awareness Month, NCALL (National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life) partnered with SPARC to host this webinar, which examines stalking in the context of elder abuse – its prevalence, dynamics, implications, and resources available for survivors. As a result of this session, viewers will be better able to recognize stalking behavior, understand how stalking impacts older adults, and identify resources to improve their response to stalking.

Showcasing Success: National Stalking Awareness Month (01/23)

OVW, in partnership with the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) will convene Showcasing Success: National Stalking Awareness Month, a virtual event to shine a light on promising practices and innovative approaches to combating stalking. From implementing new law enforcement strategies to launching informative awareness campaigns, it takes a multidisciplinary and multifaceted approach to best recognize and respond to stalking. In recognition of National Stalking Awareness Month, the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women joins the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center (SPARC) to highlight innovative approaches to addressing stalking across the country from DOJ OVW grantees including Pitt County (NC) Sheriff’s Office, West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services, and Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia.

A Course of Exploitation: The Intersection of Stalking and Sex Trafficking (12/22)

When offenders engage in a course of conduct that includes sexual exploitation, they perpetrate dangerous and often misidentified and misunderstood crimes, including stalking and sex trafficking. Both crimes are highly contextual in nature and require a nuanced analysis of the relationship between the offender and the victim, as well as the various tactics utilized by abusers to control, intimidate, and traumatize victims with impunity. Stalking behaviors are used to force or coerce individuals to engage in commercial sexual activities or to intimidate and prevent them from engaging with the criminal justice system.

Stalking and Intimate Partner Violence (10/22)

Nearly half stalking offenders are current or former intimate partners. All stalkers can be dangerous, but current/former intimate partners are generally more threatening, violent, and interfering than other stalkers and may stalk their victims before, during, and/or after the relationship. It is important to identify stalking separate from and in addition to concurring intimate partner violence. In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), this webinar highlights the significant connections between stalking and intimate partner violence.

Building a Coordinated Response to Stalking (08/22)

Keeping victims safe and holding offenders accountable requires that diverse professionals — including (but not limited to) victim advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, educators, and others — view their work through a “stalking lens,” taking pro-active steps to incorporate a stalking response into their roles and to work together. This webinar was part of the 2022 series for the OVW Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Grant Program (ICJR Program) grantees and provides practical strategies for building stalking into a coordinated community response (CCR).

Identifying, Investigating, and Prosecuting Stalking (08/22)

Despite its prevalence, stalking is rarely investigated or charged. Building an effective stalking case means asking the right questions, collecting needed evidence, and constantly assessing for victim safety. This webinar was part of the 2022 series for the OVW Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Grant Program (ICJR Program) grantees and explores how victim service providers, including law enforcement and prosecutors, can better investigate and charge stalking.

Stalking on College Campuses (07/22)

Stalking recognition and response should be integrated into awareness education, safety planning, and adjudication on campuses. Though stalking victimization is prevalent among young adults and covered under the Clery Act, stalking is rarely addressed on college campuses to the same degree as intimate partner and/or sexual violence. The geographic and social realities of college campuses can present unique challenges and opportunities for stalking cases. This webinar discusses the dynamics of stalking on college campuses and provides practical tools to better keep students safe and hold offenders accountable.

Stalking & Sexual Violence: Understanding the Intersections Webinar (04/22)

Sexual violence and stalking are both prevalent, commonly misunderstood, and severely underreported victimizations. In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, this webinar explores the intersection of stalking and sexual violence, focusing on similarities, co-occurrence, and strategies to support victims and survivors.

Left Hand, Meet Right Hand: Building a Coordinated Response to Stalking Webinar (01/22)

Keeping victims safe and holding offenders accountable requires that diverse professionals — including (but not limited to) victim advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, educators and others — view their work through a “stalking lens,” take pro-active steps to incorporate a stalking response into their roles, and work together. In honor of National Stalking Awareness Month, this session will provide practical strategies for building stalking into a coordinated community response.

SPARC A Dialogue: Building Stalking Awareness in January and Beyond Webinar (01/22)

Stalking is a serious, prevalent, and dangerous crime that impacts every community in the United States. While awareness and public discussion of intimate partner violence and sexual assault have increased in recent years, stalking remains frequently misunderstood and rarely discussed – on campuses, within the fields of domestic and sexual violence, in our criminal justice system, and among the broader general public. This webinar highlights strategies and tools to create and elevate discourse on stalking.

Beyond Intimate Partner Stalking: Acquaintance, Stranger, and Family Offenders Webinar (08/21)

About half of stalking cases are related to intimate partner violence – which means that half are not. Even when the stalking is not related to domestic violence, the response to stalking is typically housed under domestic violence or rape crisis services. Do you serve all victims of stalking – even when offenders are friends, acquaintances, family members, or strangers? This webinar explores the prevalence and dynamics of non-intimate partner stalkers, including strategies to assess risk and plan for victim safety.

Stalking & Older Adults: An Overview (NCALL & SPARC, 01/21)

Stalking impacts people of all ages — including older adults. In honor of National Stalking Awareness Month 2021, the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL) and the Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center (SPARC) present this webinar on how stalking impacts adults in later life.

Looking Forward, Looking Back: Considering the Response to Stalking w/ Debbie Riddle (01/21)

Debbie Riddle’s youngest sister, Peggy Klinke, was brutally murdered by a stalker on January 18, 2003. Less than 6 months later, Debbie – in collaboration with other national stakeholders – successfully launched National Stalking Awareness Month. Though stalking behavior is nothing new, its recognition as a crime is relatively recent. In honor of NSAM 2021, Debbie Riddle will join SPARC to consider the current state of stalking responses in the United States. Using Peggy’s case as an example, the session will reflect on the diversity of stalking behaviors, the impact(s) on victims, and look ahead to how criminal justice and victim service providers can best serve victims and survivors.

Recognizing and Responding to Stalking: OVW Grantee Orientation (01/21)

Stalking is a prevalent, dangerous and often misunderstood crime. This webinar introduces SPARC and explores the dynamics of stalking, focusing on the highly contextual nature of the crime by discussing common tactics used by perpetrators, and stalking’s co-occurrence with domestic and sexual violence. Tools to plan for victim safety and hold offenders accountable are discussed.

Talking Stalking: Resources for Awareness Educators (07/20)

Stalking is a serious, prevalent, and dangerous crime that impacts every community in the United States. While awareness and public discussion of intimate partner violence and sexual assault have increased in recent years, stalking remains frequently misunderstood and rarely discussed – on campuses, within the fields of domestic and sexual violence, and among the broader general public. This webinar highlights the newly updated “Know It, Name It, Stop It” scripted public awareness program from SPARC and provides tools and strategies to incorporate stalking education into existing programming.

Enhancing Stalking Victim Safety During Covid-19 (05/20)

While the Covid-19 pandemic can limit survivor options and exacerbate victims’ isolation, stalkers may exploit health concerns and social distancing to continue or even escalate their stalking behaviors. This webinar will highlight Covid-19’s potential impacts on stalking victims and provide strategies for service providers to enhance support and safety.

Safety Planning with Stalking Victims Webinar (04/20)

Stalking is a traumatizing and dangerous crime that frequently co-occurs with physical violence – including homicide. This webinar explores strategies and tools to recognize stalking behaviors, plan for victim safety, and document stalking incidents.

Know More, Do More: Stalking and Teen Dating Violence (03/20)

Join the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence and SPARC for a 90-minute webinar focusing on the intersection of teen dating violence and stalking.

Stalking: Risk Assessment and Safety Planning Webinar (01/20)

Stalking is a traumatic crime in its own right that often co-occurs with sexual and physical violence, including homicide. This session explores strategies to assess risk and promote victim safety, focusing on the diverse tactics stalkers may utilize, documentation strategies and safety options for victims and survivors.

Conference on Crimes Against Women Podcast: From Grief to Advocacy – Debbie Riddle’s Fight for Stalking Awareness and Systemic Change (01/24)

Every January, we’re reminded of the chilling reality of stalking and its devastating repercussions. This episode, we echo the courage of Debbie Riddle, who transformed her grief into advocacy after the murder of her sister Peggy by a stalker. Together with SPARC’s Jennifer Landhuis, we tackle the difficult nuances of stalking, from the subtle signs to the overt, with a critical eye on how law enforcement and the public acknowledge and respond to such danger. Their insights expose the gaps in our system and ignite a vital discussion on the need for consistent intervention against this crime.

MOmentum for Change: Voices of the Missouri Movement (01/24)

Listen or watch the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence talk with SPARC’s Dana Fleitman. Dana talks about how SPARC defines stalking, common dynamics, and the role that awareness plays in preventing stalking and supporting victims. She also talks about National Stalking Awareness Month and encourages listeners to raise awareness around stalking in January and throughout the year.

Strictly Stalking: My Sister’s Story with Debbie Riddle & SPARC’s Dana Fleitman (01/24)

Strictly Stalking talks with SPARC’s Dana Fleitman and Debbie Riddle to discuss how stalking is too often minimized and misunderstood. Debbie is an Anti-Stalking Advocate whose sister Peggy Klinke was stalked and murdered by her ex-boyfriend. After Peggy’s death, Debbie refused to remain silent about the extreme failures in Peggy’s case and began telling Peggy’s story to anyone that would listen.

Sinisterhood with SPARC’s Dana Fleitman and Debbie Riddle (01/24)

Sinisterhood talks with SPARC’s Dana Fleitman and NSAM co-founder Debbie Riddle about stalking and the murder of Debbie’s sister, Peggy Klinke. Sinisterhood also does a deep dive into Peggy’s story with The Stalking and Murder of Peggy Klinke – Part 1 and Part 2.

The Mend with SPARC’s Jennifer Landhuis (01/23)

Join Anna Nasset, speaker, survivor, author, and host of Vermont’s Center for Crime Victim Services Podcast as she talks with SPARC’s Jennifer Landhuis about raising awareness around stalking.

Root For Each Other, A Branches Podcast Episode: On Stalking with SPARC’s Dana Fleitman (03/22)

Dana Fleitman from the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) teams up with Branches to discuss the importance of acknowledging the crime of stalking as its own victimization with its own red flags and potentially dangerous indicators. Sometimes overlooked or misrepresented, stalking is a serious issue that affects victims every day of their lives.

OVW Patchwork Podcast: Addressing Misconceptions to Understand and Serve Victims and Survivors of Stalking (01/22)

In the OVW podcast Patchwork, Jennifer Landhuis, the Director of the Stalking Prevention and Resource Center (SPARC), joins to discuss common misconceptions surrounding stalking, including how abusers are misusing technology. She also shares available resources for OVW grantees as well as the public to educate on stalking, identify when someone is being stalked, and help victims and survivors of stalking.

Strictly Stalking with Debbie Riddle & SPARC’s Dana Fleitman (01/21)

Listen or watch this episode with Debbie Riddle, an Anti-Stalking Advocate whose sister Peggy Klinke was stalked and murdered by her ex-boyfriend. After Peggy’s death, Debbie refused to remain silent about the extreme failures in our criminal justice system and set out on a mission to get the system fixed and began telling Peggy’s story to anyone that would listen. Debbie is joined by SPARC’s Dana Fleitman to discuss why stalking so often slips through the cracks.

El Acecho Y La Violencia Doméstica (24/01)

El acecho es un delito frecuente, peligroso y, a menudo, incomprendido. Este seminario web, presentado para el Centro Nacional de Recursos sobre Violencia Doméstica, explora las dinámicas del acecho, centrándose en la importancia del contexto al discutir las tácticas comunes utilizadas por los perpetradores, la coexistencia del acecho con la violencia doméstica, así como herramientas para planificar la seguridad de las víctimas. y responsabilizar a los perpetradores.

Apoyo a las víctimas de acecho LGBTQ+ (23/08)

Al responder y apoyar a las víctimas de acoso de lesbianas, gays, bisexuales, transgénero y queer (LGBTQ+), se aplican la mayor parte de la misma información, comportamientos, riesgos y consideraciones de planificación de seguridad sobre el acecho que cuando se trabaja con la población general. Además, es fundamental considerar cuestiones específicas que pueden afectar a las víctimas de acecho LGBTQ+. En este seminario web, SPARC y FORGE analizan el trabajo con personas LGBTQ+ que pueden estar sufriendo acecho y nuestra Guía publicada en colaboración sobre el mismo tema (en Inglés).

Cargos por acecho: una oportunidad, no una ocurrencia tardía (23/02)

En este seminario web, se alienta a los participantes a ver la conducta de un delincuente contra una víctima a través de una lente holística, en lugar de episódica, y los participantes aprenden cómo los cargos de acecho pueden proporcionar el vínculo crítico entre instancias aparentemente aisladas. Después de analizar los comportamientos comunes de acecho, los presentadores analizan cómo los actores del sistema de justicia penal y los profesionales aliados pueden mejorar su respuesta, incluidos los métodos para investigar y enjuiciar los delitos de acecho. En lugar de considerar que los delitos de acecho son demasiado complejos o una ocurrencia tardía de otros delitos, los participantes verán estos cargos como clave para responsabilizar a los delincuentes por el alcance total de su delincuencia.

El Contexto Es Fundamental (23/01)

El acecho es criminal, traumático, peligroso y, a menudo, incomprendido. Este seminario web presenta una introducción al delito de acecho, centrándose en la definición, la prevalencia, los aspectos, y los comportamientos de acecho, y también las intersecciones con otras victimizaciones (incluida la violencia de pareja íntima). Este seminario web recurrente se ofrece trimestralmente para proporcionar conocimientos básicos sobre el delito de acecho.

Mostrando el éxito: Mes nacional de concientización sobre el acecho (23/01)

Este seminario web, convocado por OVW y SPARC, es un evento virtual para arrojar luz sobre prácticas prometedoras y enfoques innovadores para combatir el acecho. Desde la implementación de nuevas estrategias de aplicación de la ley hasta el lanzamiento de campañas informativas de concientización, se necesita un enfoque multidisciplinario y multifacético para reconocer y responder mejor al acoso. En reconocimiento al Mes Nacional de Concientización sobre el Acecho, la Oficina sobre Violencia contra las Mujeres del Departamento de Justicia se une al Centro de Recursos, Concientización y Prevención del Acecho (SPARC) para resaltar enfoques innovadores para abordar el acoso en todo el país por parte de los beneficiarios de la OVW del DOJ, incluido el condado de Pitt (Carolina del Norte). Oficina del Sheriff, Fundación de Información y Servicios sobre Violación de Virginia Occidental y Consejo de Fiscales de Georgia.

Acecho y Violenca Sexual: Comprender las Conexiones (21/04)

La agresión sexual y el acecho son delitos frecuentes, comúnmente malinterpretados y gravemente subestimados. En honor al Mes de Concientización sobre la Agresión Sexual, este seminario web explora la intersección del acoso y la violencia sexual, centrándose en las similitudes, la coexistencia y las estrategias para apoyar a las víctimas y sobrevivientes.

Reconocer y responder al acecho: Orientación para beneficiarios de OVW (21/01)

El acecho es un delito frecuente, peligroso y, a menudo, incomprendido. Este seminario web se presenta por SPARC y explora la dinámica del acecho, centrándose en la naturaleza altamente contextual del delito al discutir las tácticas comunes utilizadas por los perpetradores y la coexistencia del acecho con la violencia doméstica y sexual. Se analizan las herramientas para planificar la seguridad de las víctimas y responsabilizar a los infractores.

For more SPARC recorded webinars, visit our YouTube channel.