If you are the friend, family member, roommate, or acquaintance of a person suspected of stalking or a known stalker there are times when you have a moral duty to warn:
1) When the stalker makes statements which, are threatening to the victim's safety or indicate an increased level of agitation and obsession with the victim.
2) When the stalker makes statements which, are threatening to the victim's property, friends or family members.
3) When the stalker switches vehicles while continuing to stalk the victim.
4) When the stalker shows an increased interest in weapons or purchases weapons.
5) When the stalker is discovered to be in possession of the victim's property. Property can consist of any item or items, which the stalker has taken out of the victim's home, car, or workplace.
6) When the stalker shows increased evidence of delusional, erratic and unpredictable behavior.
7) When the stalker shows an increase in delusional, obsessive, disturbing, raging, paranoid, compulsive emotions or mood.
8) When the stalker shows an increase in emotionally or psychologically impaired behavior.
9) When the stalker admits to stalking the victim or is seen in the act of stalking the victim.
10) When the stalker is observed collecting or purchasing items or products that can be used for no other logical purpose other than to harm the victim, victim's friends, victim's family members, pets, or property.
11) When the stalker is discovered to have a stash of photographs of the victim or victim's friends, family or property, which the victim did not give to him.
12) When the stalker insists on watching the victim, the victim's friends, or the victim's family members, especially after the victim has obtained a Court Order of Protection or Restraining Order.
13) When the stalker insists on watching the victim, the victim's friends, or the victim's family members after a Court Order of Protection or Restraining Order has expired.
14) When the stalker is prescribed psychiatric medications and stops taking his medicine.
15) When the stalker is court ordered to psychiatric treatment, therapy or case management and the stalker begins to miss appointments so that he may observe his victim, the victim's friends or the victim's family.
16) When the stalker changes residences so that he can live closer to the victim, the victim's friends or the victim's family.
17) When the stalker tries to talk an accomplice or potential accomplice into helping him watch the victim.
18) When the stalker tries to turn you into an accomplice because he has gotten into trouble stalking and needs you to help him get out, or cover up the evidence, so that the police don't discover what he's been doing.
19) When the stalker begins living in his car or in an outdoor location, a campsite, so that he can more easily and effectively watch and stalk the victim.
**There are many other similar situations, which call for the moral duty to warn.
**If you fail to adequately warn: The victim, the victim's friends, the victim's family members, or property could be seriously harmed or a homicide could occur.
**If you fail to warn, should the stalker chose to stalk someone who is not completely defenseless the stalker could be seriously harmed or killed in an act of self-defense. If you care for him or love him --- WARN.
**Who do you warn? This depends on who is most likely to listen and ACT to stop damage from occurring. The police must always be warned, the victim should be warned whenever it is possible, and any psychiatric professionals the stalker may be seeing should be notified immediately.
**Do not warn the victim in person when this can be avoided due to the terror and distress the stalker has already caused the victim. It is better to warn the victim by phone.
**Why warn the victim? Because many times the police will not take the report seriously or there will be a long time lapse between the report and any police action to protect the victim. By the time the police respond to the reported information the victim, victim's friends, or the victim's family may be harmed.
**Don't be fooled by the stalker's excuses for his behaviors and moods. Don't be duped by the stalker's false labels for his behaviors. Many stalkers label their behaviors as other more socially acceptable acts.
By Lady Lost
Copyright � 2002
All rights reserved
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International Copyright
No rights to copy, print, download, duplicate, or display elsewhere other than this specific website granted or implied without the direct written permission of the author. Please contact agent of the author: Mr. Gunther S. Vanludwick at [email protected]
**As with all poetry, essays, correspondence and/or published letters, e-mails or other communications presented on this webpage, this work is a personal subjective expression of its author's own feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and opinions. This statement is in no way intended to invalidate or minimize the powerful and poignant experiences of this author. However, this statement is intended to indicate that creative expressions such as these written forms of artwork are derived from their author's own personal feelings, thoughts, beliefs and opinions.
**This work is not intended to serve as legal or psychiatric or psychological advice or aid. This work consists of Lady Lost's opinions, thoughts and subjective personal feelings in regards to this topic, "A Moral Duty to Warn." Any individual needing legal or psychiatric or psychological advice or help is encouraged to seek the counsel of a professional licensed person in the required field.
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