A crime that often goes unnoticed or unwarranted as one that deserves immediate attention is stalking. Stalking is considered a crime in all 50 states because nearly 6.6 million people are stalked every year in the U.S.

“Stalking is unwanted attention in an overabundance of attention that one individual places on another,” said Wayne Bergeron, interim chair and instructor of criminal justice. “It becomes a problem when the object of that attention becomes uncomfortable.”

According to Safe Horizon, women are three times more likely to be stalked than raped. Coincidentally, like rape victims, three out of four stalking victims previously know their stalkers.

These reports are true when looked at through UNA freshman Elizabeth Higgins. Higgins was stalked her first semester of college at work by a former high school classmate. Her stalker followed her to work to sit and stare at her while she was working. The stalking ended when Higgins’ coworkers noticed the situation and warned her.

“I was kind of scared to go out to my car after that,” she said.

Higgins said the boy had exhibited the same sort of behavior while the two went to school together.

“He would turn around in class and just stare at me the entire period,” she said.

Bergeron said stalking can occur in relationships, at the workplace or among family members. He said what defines stalking is the behavior.

Stalking can be classified in various degrees for law enforcers.

According to Alabama’s Stalking Resource Center, stalking in the first degree is considered a Class C felony and the most punishable of the various degrees. Stalking in the first degree involves a person who “intentionally and repeatedly follows or harasses another person and who makes a threat, either expressed or implied, with the intent to place that person in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily harm.”

“A lot of people like to stereotype that stalkers are these closet geeks, but what we find is that both men and women are as likely to be victims as they are to be stalkers,” he said. “Generally, you have to look at what the behavior is and what the characteristics and relationship is to tell what stalking is.”

Often, calling attention to the issue will help to end stalking, Bergeron said.

Putting notice on the strange behavior Higgins’ stalker exhibited helped to promptly end the situation. When co-workers called attention to the young man at work, he disappeared and has yet to reappear at work.

Higgins, however, said she wishes she had gone to an authority figure on her own but appreciates that others close to her looked out for her.

“You need to be watching out for other people because I would have never know about it if my co-workers hadn’t told me,” she said.

Students who feel they are being stalked on campus can report the behavior to university police or to the Office of Student Conduct and Assessment. In both instances, the stalker can be identified and put on notice and allow for more serious actions to be taken.