Questions Posted to "Ask a Dispatcher"
Q. If you believe someone is following you but you don't know who they are what information should you right down before calling in the report and what can JPD do if you believe someone is following you.
Dear Juneau Resident,
First you want to take a critical look at the situation and gather your supporting information to assure yourself that someone really is following you. Juneau is a pretty small town and the same people follow me and I follow them every Saturday from Fred Meyer, to recycling, to Costco. If you have a routine, others may have a similar routine.
The person following you would have to have some motive for doing so, which would tend to reveal who they are or who they are associated with. If you are feeling harassed is best to take a notebook and keep an exact log of each interaction.
The police and courts have to find a distinction between unpleasant stuff that is just a part of life and being the victim of a crime. If you are breaking up with a prior romantic partner, maybe they call you a couple of times in a week and you don't like it. Unpleasant, but not into the illegal area. An ex calling and emailing hundreds of times in a week, now you are in an area where a reasonable person could claim serious life disruption. The later would be appropriate for a stalking or domestic violence protective order and/or criminal investigation.
So, start your log. Once you get documentation of a series of non-consensual contacts by the person it's time to make a report. Maybe run it by a friend whose judgement you trust to make sure a reasonable person would say the contacts are of the level that your life is seriously disrupted.
If you are simply seeing another person that wouldn't be considered harassment but if you add elements like staring at your window for hours, that kind of thing, then we are adding to the 'creepy' meter and you need to talk to an officer. Any charges would depend on the specific behavior of the person. A stalking order might also be in order if there is an identifiable reason to fear assault or sexual assault.