Stalked: A Code Officials Worst Nightmare!

 by Kirk Palmer, Master Code Officer (GA), COSCI, COSS

“The stalker is akin to any other terrorist; he or she seeks to unnerve his or her target through intimidation and the fear of the unknown…”

Anonymous Police Detective assigned to his department’s “Anti-Stalking” Unit

One of the things I love about CEOSF is the exchange of information on our “report incident” page. I am astounded, although rarely surprised, at some of the incidents reported. In this day and age, people are unpredictable and emboldened by a criminal justice system that is often overwhelmed and aloof. In this article, I will be addressing something that seems to be occurring more and more to code officials: stalking. 

While doing research for this article, I took a look at CEOSF’s “report incident” data and found at least nineteen incidents classified as stalking or had elements of stalking but were classified as other incidents. The incidents ranged from surveillance to damaged vehicles (both personal and agency-owned) to letters being sent to the official’s home address. In one incident, a drone was used for surveillance, and in another, a purported “hit” was placed on a code official! Still, in another instance, a deranged individual subscribed a code official to over 500 magazine subscriptions and slashed the official’s tires multiple times after following the official home. I’ve had at least a dozen officers tell me horror stories of being stalked when I’m teaching at one of our semi-annual Georgia Association of Code Enforcement Conferences. It’s a widespread problem. On a personal level, I once had a man call me at my old home landline number and demand to know why I had left a notice at his daughter’s home for overgrown vegetation. Once he found out I was a certified law enforcement officer, he abruptly hung up. The next day, myself and another police officer paid him a visit and explained the “facts of life” to him, and there was no further contact from the man—and his daughter mowed her lawn.

 

How prevalent is stalking in the United States? Well, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice, an estimated 7.5 million people in the United States alone are stalked each year. Furthermore, studies show that stalking cases have risen by 50% in the last decade. What type of stalker would pursue a code official? That would be the Resentful (Revenge) Stalker, who engages in stalking behavior due to perceived mistreatment or injustice and seeks revenge or to “even the score” with the victim, and we all know everyone is happy when the code officer shows up...

 

Although stalking can take many forms, I have narrowed the list to three (3) distinct ways code officials are stalked:

• Surveillance: following the code official; to include on and off-duty.
• Unwanted Communication: i.e., sending mail to the code official’s home address or harassing phone calls or texts to the code official’s personal or official cellphones.
• Cyberstalking: using social media and online services to obtain personal information on code officials.

 

How should a code official defend himself or herself against the Resentful (Revenge) Stalker? Situational awareness and keen observation skills are your best defense if you suspect you’re being surveilled. If you feel you’re being followed, resist the urge to drive home. Rather, drive back to your office or, better yet, to a police precinct or sheriff’s office and file a report. In the case of receiving unwanted communications, whether they be in the form of letters to your private residence, emails, texts, or harassing phone calls, report these to your immediate supervisor, and a plan of action to include law enforcement intervention should be initiated if it hasn't already been. While it may seem redundant, report every incident, no matter how insignificant it may seem. A paper trail is an immense help if the perpetrator is eventually arrested and prosecuted. 

 

To prevent cyberstalking, it would be advisable to use one of the many identity/reputation protection companies to “erase” your personal information from the web. While this might cost money, I ask: Can you put a price on your personal safety—or your family’s? It goes without saying: make sure your Facebook account, if you have one, is set to private. Finally, don’t become complacent; you must always keep your guard up because stalkers, especially those who are genuinely mentally disturbed, can be persistent and unpredictable, and some are not easily deterred by law enforcement intervention.

 

Until next time: stay alert and don’t get hurt!

_________________

 

About the author: Kirk Palmer, COSCI, is a Master Code Officer (GA) with 29 years of public safety experience. He is currently the Senior Code Official for White County, Georgia. In addition, he is an officer safety instructor for the Georgia Association of Code Enforcement Officials (GACE), specializing in extremist groups and gangs.