Program educates people on stalking prevention

By Ryan May
Daily Forty-Niner
 
Stalking, consequences and danger issues were tackled at a seminar Wednesday given by University Police and the "Love Me Not" program in the University Student Union.

Love Me Not, unveiled last February by Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti, acts to educate men and women on what constitutes stalking and its illegality. The seminar has been offered at other campuses such USC, UCLA and Cal State Northridge.

"Stalking is a precursor to violence," said Monica Lange, a Love Me Not representative, and Women's Studies professor at Cal State Long Beach.

Lange focused on the often-overlooked statistics relative to stalking and credits Love Me Not as a collaborative and unique program.

"It involves campus representatives," Lange said. "It's really focused on preventing violence by preventing stalking."

Fewer than six cases of stalking are reported on campus per year, said Sgt. Bonnie Meyers of University Police.

Characteristics of stalking can include unwanted gifts, e-mails, phone calls or more violent acts, such as slashed tires, Meyers said.

"Unfortunately, when the police department hears about it, it's gone to that point, and has been a long series of things," she said. "Victims don't attach these things to being one section of stalking, or even a part of stalking, until it's at that point that it's too late."

Defining stalking as any unwanted pursuit, Meyers said many cases go unreported due to a misconception by the victim that stalking is harmless or will resolve itself.