January is National Stalking Awareness Month

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Help raise awareness of the seriousness and dangers of stalkers.  Wishing a safe & healthy New Year to all!

Did you know January is Stalking Awareness Month? Visit stalkingawarenessmonth.org for info.

What could you do to recognize National Stalking Awareness Month?

How much do you know about stalking? Take a quiz here: http://bit.ly/NSAM2015

Stalking is a crime & you are not to blame for a stalker’s behavior: http://bit.ly/ForVictims

Have you seen the most recent data from the CDC? View our Stalking Statistics and Data here: http://bit.ly/StalkingStats

What would you say to a friend who told you they were being stalked?  Learn more about stalking this month at http://bit.ly/NSAM2015

Although women are more likely to be stalked than men, anyone can be a victim of stalking. Learn about stalking at http://bit.ly/NSAM2015

Stalking: It’s not a joke. It’s not romantic. It’s not ok. It’s a crime.
Visit stalkingawarenessmonth.org to learn more.

1 in 4 women and 1 in 13 men will be victims of stalking in their lifetime. Visit stalkingawarenessmonth.org for more info.

Individuals identifying as more than one race or American Indian, or Alaska Native experience higher rates of stalking http://bit.ly/NSAM2015

Stalking is a crime in all 50 states, DC, & the territories. Read about your law at victimsofcrime.org/src

On avg. stalking lasts about 2 years; intimate partner stalking lasts longer. Learn the realities of stalking: victimsofcrime.org/src

The National Center for Victims of Crime says, “Stalking is a crime of intimidation and psychological terror that often escalates into violence against its victims. Stalkers can destroy the lives of victims, terrorizing them through a course of conduct that may include monitoring, following, threatening, or harassing victims in a variety of ways. Stalking often has devastating consequences for victims. Many are forced to profoundly alter their lives—going as far as relocating to another state and changing their identities—to protect themselves and their families.”

A leader in responding to stalking The National Center for Victims of Crime has long led the field in enhancing our country’s response to stalking by advocating for key stalking legislation and policy at the federal and state level. In 2000, the National Center estab- lished the Stalking Resource Center to increase public awareness about stalking and help communities across the country develop multidisciplinary responses to this insidious crime. As the only national training and technical assistance center focused solely on stalking, the Stalking Resource Center has provided training to tens of thousands of victim service providers and criminal justice practitioners throughout the United States and has fostered innovations in programs for stalking victims and practitioners who support them.

For more information, please contact: National Center for Victims of Crime 2000 M Street, NW, Suite 480 Washington, DC 20036  202-467-8700 | www.ncvc.org

I know how dangerous stalking is…our beautiful 20 year old daughter Morgan was murdered during an active investigation into her stalking.  My wish is that another daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, aunt, Goddaughter, or friend never loses their life again because of their stalker.  Law enforcement needs better protocols for cases involving stalking including allowing community policing, states need to have strict laws on their books, the judicial system needs to enforce those laws to the maximum degree without accepting a plea to a lesser charge.  No more revolving doors in our system that allows stalkers to continue their reign of terror.  Please talk about the dangers of stalkers with your family and friends and raise the awareness.  Knowledge is power.

2015 Colorado Victims’ Rights Caucus January 15th

Just wanted to forward some important information from COVA about the 2015 Colorado Victims’ Rights Caucus – First meeting is January 15th – Invite your legislators!
COVA is proud to announce the 3rd year of the Colorado Crime Victims’ Rights Caucus, which is sponsored this year by State Representative Rhonda Fields (D) and Representative Polly Lawrence (R). The Colorado Crime Victims’ Rights Caucus hopes to serve as the General Assembly’s subject matter experts in ensuring that the rights of crime victims are appropriately balanced in the consideration of criminal justice policy.
All meetings will be held the 3rd Thursday of the month from 12PM – 1PM at the Capitol. The first meeting will be next week, on January 15th. A flier with all the details can be found here. 

Personal invitations from constituents can be very powerful, so please write your elected officials to ask them to attend. Don’t know how to reach your legislators? Visit openstates.org  to find out!
Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance
1325 S Colorado Blvd, Suite 508 B
Denver, CO 80222

Successful Responses to Stalking

This video features two jurisdictions that successfully use multidisciplinary, collaborative responses to stalking:

January is stalking awareness month – Stalking: Real Fear, Real Crime

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Reminder…January is stalking awareness month.  Please learn as much as you can about the dangers of stalking.  Share what you learn with others.  Education is our most powerful weapon against stalking.  Click on this link to watch Stalking: Real Fear, Real Crime

Doing the right thing…

MorganinhatI want to share with you something that Morgan wrote on her Facebook page Easter of 2011 before her stalking started. I think it is something very important for everyone to hear right now. There are some people that know things about what happened to Morgan, as well as who did those things to Morgan.  These people don’t want to come forward because they think they will be called a “snitch”, but I can’t wrap my head around that. Morgan was stalked, tortured, and murdered and they don’t want to “snitch” on the person or persons that did this to her? This makes no sense to me. Do they really want to protect someone that hurt one of their friends? Do they not know by keeping this kind of knowledge secret that they become accomplices? Don’t they realize that their silence is allowing a very sick person to stay out on the streets and possibly do the same thing to another innocent person? By calling Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers with anything they know or heard they can stay anonymous. Anyway, the truth will come out and the choices people make to come forward or not will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Here is what Morgan wrote:

4-24-2011
By Morgan Ingrim · over a year ago

It’s about truth.

It’s about being honest with the individuals that were blessed to be in your life because they deserve it. Hurt them, let them down, enlighten them, as long as you were honest you couldn’t have been more perfect because when you’re not, when you try to protect someone from the truth or try to gain something from their ignorance, you’re robbing them from their own truth, from their own chance at finding the things in this world that make them even happier than your illusion, you’re building a life of lies not just for yourself but for everyone around you.

If things don’t work out between two people, if they don’t go as you want or had planned, that is infinitely better than leading a life of senseless mental slavery.

This world is beautiful and unfolding and the only thing you control in it is how honest with yourself that you are.

Happy Easter, beautiful children.