January is National Stalking Awareness Month and this year's theme is Know it, Name It, Stop It. This year's theme reflects a call to action to educate and identify stalking behaviors.
Stalking behavior, in Oklahoma law, is someone who 'willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows or harasses another person in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to feel frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, ...'
'it is important for us to be able to identify stalking behaviors and patterns and empower people to support stalking victims and to report stalking behavior,' said Lori Gonzalez, Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS) Vice President of Advocacy Services.
Stalking includes any unwanted contact, monitoring, or threats toward another person including, but not limited to, unwanted phone calls or texts, visits, and unwanted contact with their friends or family.
In addition, stalking can also include monitoring and surveilling someone's property and damaging said property, social media monitoring, and GPS tracking of victims.
'Threats to the victim and their family is also considered stalking behavior,' Gonzalez said.
'Stalking is a criminal, traumatic, and dangerous behavior toward another person', she continued. It is not something that should ever be excused as simply harassment or 'crazy' behavior.'
Stalking is often perpetrated by someone that is known to the victim, she added.
There are many types of 'stalkers' including the Rejected Stalker, the Intimacy Seeking Stalker, the Incompetent Stalker, and the Resentful Stalker, among others.
'Stalking is a crime of fear. Victims fear not knowing what will happened next and worry if the stalking will ever stop,' Gonzalez said. 'It can lead to many types of mental health issues for victims; everything from depression and anxiety to insomnia and social dysfunction.'
According to the latest statistics from the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC), one (1) in three (3) women and one (1) in six (6) men have experienced stalking victimization at some point in their lifetime.
In Oklahoma, approximately 51% of women and 46% of men are likely to experience domestic violence or stalking, according to a 2025 Citizen Potawatomi Nation article.
In addition, 76% of women murdered by an intimate partner were stalked first, and 85% of women that survived an attempted murder were also stalked, according to the Oklahoma Senate. 'Currently, the law requires law enforcement to issue a formal stalking warning letter to the accused when a complaint has been filed,' said Gonzalez. 'This is a tactic that has been shown to reduce stalking, in other states.'
New Oklahoma laws have also expanded the definition of stalking and increased penalties for those convicted of stalking.
Gonzalez said that it is very important to report concerns to authorities and to connect survivors with resources.
DVIS serves Tulsa and Creek counties, and you can reach them at their 24-hour Helpline: 918-7HELP-ME (918-743-5763). You can also contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 800-7997233.
You can reach Creek County DVIS at 918-224-9290.