Stalking Victimization: Examining the Impact of Police Action and Inaction on Victim-Reported Outcome

Drawing data from a sample of stalking victims, this study assessed the impact of nine subsequent police actions, including police inaction, on victim-reported outcome of their stalking situation after the incident was reported to the police. The outcome variable has three response categories: the situation got worse, the situation stayed the same, and the situation got better. The author found three of the nine police actions were significantly related to the outcome variable. The author found that victims were more likely to report that their stalking situation improved when the responding officer took a report or warned the perpetrator. The author also found that police inaction increased the odds of victims reporting that their stalking situation worsened as well as the odds of victims reporting that their stalking situation improved. Implications of these findings are discussed