ABSTRACT

Introduction .................................................................................................. 338 LAPD Threat Management Unit ................................................................. 338

Overview of TMU Responsibilities .................................................... 339 TMU Staffing and Caseload ............................................................... 339 Case Referral and Acceptance............................................................. 340 Accepting Cases of Stalking and Credible Threat against Persons .. 340 The Case Management Process .......................................................... 340 Accepting a Threat Management Case .............................................. 341 Threat Assessment and Case Management Training ........................ 342 Celebrity Stalking Cases...................................................................... 343

Other Units Established to Handle Stalking Cases .................................... 343 Major Assault Crimes.......................................................................... 343 SMART Teams ..................................................................................... 343 School Threat Assessment Teams....................................................... 344

Threat Management Unit Cases .................................................................. 344 Stalking Case Example One................................................................ 344 Stalking Case Example Two................................................................ 345 Stalking Case Example Three ............................................................. 345 Stalking Case Example Four............................................................... 346 Stalking Case Example Five ................................................................ 347

Conclusion..................................................................................................... 348 Bibliography .................................................................................................. 349 About the Contributing Author .................................................................. 349

California Penal Code § 646.9 was adopted in 1990 and was the first law in the United States to provide criminal penalties for stalking. The key elements of the anti-stalking model, California statute and law, are

• A course of conduct involving harassing or threatening behavior • A credible threat, implicit or explicit, against the victim or the victim’s

family with apparent ability to carry out the threat • Intent to place victim in fear for his or her own safety or that of

immediate family • Actual substantial emotional distress by the victim from the reasonable

fear created by the course of conduct and threat

Simple stalking as defined above constitutes what in state practice is called a “wobbler” offense. That is, stalking may be treated at the discretion of the district attorney as either a felony or a 1-year misdemeanor. Stalking in violation of a court restraining order is always a felony, with a maximum sentence of up to 4 years.