How are Stalking Laws Being Implemented?
Statutes that establish new crimes, such as stalking, are not universally implemented or instantaneously enforced from the moment they take effect. There is often a considerable lag time in implementing new statutes as law enforcement officials, prosecutors and judges become familiar with the law and develop policies and procedures to implement them. Since stalking laws are fairly new, victims cannot always be certain that law enforcement officials, prosecutors or even judges are aware of these new laws. Stalking victims may find it necessary to provide law enforcement officials with a copy of their state stalking statute, along with evidence which proves the stalker has violated the statute. Copies of such statutes can be found in your state’s published criminal code, available in some public libraries and all law libraries. How Do I File a Complaint Under My State’s Stalking Statute? To file a complaint that will trigger an arrest and prosecution, it must be accompanied with sufficie
