DV Journal

A man in his 50s began online stalking of a 13-year-old Bucks County girl, who was his child’s friend. He posted photos of her and said he wanted to marry her. After pleading guilty to a misdemeanor, he was sentenced to probation. Then he began stalking the girl again.

This is the type of situation that state Rep. Shelby Labs (R-Doylestown) hopes to end. Labs and other Republican state representatives introduced a series of bills to make stalking someone, child or adult, more onerous for the perpetrator and protective of the victims.

Stalking affects one in three women and one in six men in the U.S., Labs said.

“It can lead to psychological trauma, social isolation, fear and the disruption of daily life,” said Labs. “Though many people know their stalker, that is not always the case. With the growth of social media and the ability to easily obtain information about someone, it is imperative that we make sure our laws are effectively protecting victims.”

She said the legislation results from months of collaboration with law enforcement and victims. The goal is to close the gaps in the state’s current laws, she said, and “give law enforcement the tools they need.”

Labs said her amendment would make the offense of stalking when someone “knowingly or recklessly places a person in fear of bodily injury.” She also proposes a nonpublic database for law enforcement of people convicted of domestic violence offenses, including aggravated assault, strangulation and stalking, to notify law enforcement and victims’ advocates of information such as the offender obtaining a new job, new vehicle or residence, phone number or aliases. It would also create funds for a police civilian community relations specialist.

Rep. Kristin Marcell (R-Richboro) mentioned the stalking statistics, adding, “I am part of that statistic…I had an acquaintance stalker many years ago.” When she shares her story, other women often tell her they’ve also been the victims of stalkers. “We have much work to do in the commonwealth on this issue.”

“As we stand here, thousands of individuals are living in fear,” she said. “Stalking is a form of predatory behavior that robs people of their sense of security and can have devastating, life-altering consequences. Unfortunately, as technology has evolved, so too have the methods used by stalkers to harass their victims.”

Her bill would address online stalking through social media.  Nowadays, a stalker can “hide behind screens, harassing their victims from a distance, often without fear of consequences.”

Marcell’s bill would allow judges to deny stalkers access to social media when the victim gets a protection from abuse order (PFA) against them, offering immediate protection before a criminal conviction is handed down.

“Together, we can take meaningful action to protect the safety and dignity of every Pennsylvanian,” said Marcell.

State Rep. KC Tomlinson (R-Bensalem) said, “Too often, it takes someone being at extreme risk or even hurt before something can be done. Many years ago, stalking took much more work. Today, predators can open up a cell phone, go to a social media platform and find whoever they are looking for.  This is not a partisan issue. It’s about making sure stalking victims have the protection they need, and our police and prosecutors have the ability to provide those protections.”

Her bill would impose a mandatory minimum 5-year prison sentence for any defendant convicted of a second or subsequent stalking offense.

Rep. Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny) sponsored a bill to expand a bill that now protects victims under 18 to adults to allow them to get a protection from abuse orders if they are the victims of stalking or harassment.

More than 7.5 million people are stalked in the U.S. each year, but unless there is a direct element of sexual violence, adults have little or no legal protection.

“One in four victims report they were afraid of being killed by their stalker,” said Mihalek. “And more than ¾ know their stalkers, meaning the threat is a constant, invasive presence in their everyday lives.”

Stalking victims feel anxiety, depression and PRTD, she said. It can also disrupt their ability to work, causing one in eight to lose their jobs.

‘We are affirming that no one, regardless of age, should be forced to endure such terror without the protection of the law,” said Mihalek. “We all want to ensure that no child or adult falls through the cracks.”

Rep. Abby Major  (R-Armstrong) said children who are stalked can suffer “serious emotional and physical harm.”

It can result in grooming, gradually building trust until engaging in inappropriate conversations or meeting requests.

The bill, inspired by the Bucks County case recounted above, increases stalking from a misdemeanor to a felony when the victim is four years younger than the offender.

“Child predators should not be given a slap on the wrist,” said Major.’

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After a surge in suburban crime — including a 130 percent increase in firearms offenses — a group of Bucks County lawmakers led by GOP Sen. Frank Farry are sponsoring legislation to fight back.

“Every day when you turn on the news, those of us in the Philadelphia media market see what’s going on,” said Farry. “You see different and evolving crimes happening in our communities and our neighboring communities. We think it’s our responsibility, as public figures, to step forward and make sure proper statutes are on the books to help the men and women in law enforcement have the tools they need to do their jobs.”

And they had plenty of backup from the local police. About two dozen police representatives from Bucks and Montgomery Counties were on hand at Thursday’s press conference Thursday outside the Northampton Township Police Department to endorse their efforts.

Lawmakers are introducing the bills because of “feedback we’ve heard from law enforcement, feedback we’ve heard from victims, feedback from our communities, and feedback we’ve heard from prosecutors,” said Farry. “We want to ensure that law enforcement has the proper tools in their tool chest to be able to properly charge crimes that will ultimately lead to convictions.”

Warrington Police Chief Daniel Friel, president of the Police Chiefs’ Association of Bucks County, said, “We’ve seen increases in nearly every category of crime that affects the average citizen or business owner. These categories include robbery, burglary, thefts from vehicles, retail thefts, thefts of catalytic converters, and firearms thefts…We have seen a 32 percent increase in thefts from vehicles since last year (and) a 28 percent increase over the average of the past three years. Theft of catalytic converters in Warrington Township is up 85 percent since last year, and again, that’s a 237 percent increase over the past three-year average.”

Perhaps most disturbing, “There’s already a 130 percent increase in firearms offenses, which is an 89 percent increase over the past three years,” said Friel.

And illegal car meetup rallies have become common in Bucks County, overwhelming municipal police forces, he said.

The bills include mandatory jail time for illegally possessing a firearm, cracking down on porch pirates, reducing catalytic converter robberies, increasing penalties for gun store robberies, putting the brakes on vehicle meetup rallies, and enhanced charges for rioters.

Warrington Police Chief Daniel Friel speaks with Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey, Rep. K.C. Tomlinson (left), and Rep. Kristin Marcell (right).

Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey called them “common sense.”

“First, mandatory jail time for illegal gun possession is absolutely needed in Pennsylvania,” he said. “In Bensalem, we’ve experienced a 75 percent increase in illegal guns. We’ve seized 174 illegal guns in that timeframe. More distressing is the fact we’ve arrested 21 convicted felons for illegally possessing a firearm this year to date.”

“Without strong penalties, these felons are often released and go back to carrying illegal guns,” he said. “And worse, they use the illegal guns on innocent victims.”

And catalytic converter theft is booming. One Bensalem business had 58 catalytic converters stolen from its fleet of vehicles, which cost more than $100,000 to replace. When officers see someone with a truckload of catalytic converters, they can’t charge them “even when they have no legitimate purpose to carry them.”

“And the car meetups, the drifting, it’s absolutely crazy,” said McVey. “They’ve popped up in our jurisdictions. They overtake areas. They have no regard for anyone’s safety.”

Rep. Kristin Marcell (R-Wrightstown) thanked Farry for shepherding the porch pirates bill, which increases penalties for that type of theft, through the Senate. It awaits passage in the House.

“Especially with the holiday season, where more people are relying on mail-order purchases, it’s more important than ever to protect consumers and to think about how we can help,” she said. She said that stealing boxes from people’s porches is not a victimless crime. For example, it could be medicine ordered by an elderly person that’s stolen.

Afterward, Marcell told DVJournal that Democratic Reps. Joe Ciresi (D-Royersford) and Ed Ne9lson (D-Philadelphia) are also sponsors.

Rep. Joe Hogan (R-Langhorne) said, “What’s happening in our cities right now is a choice. The decline, the prosecutorial decisions, is a choice…to allow violent criminals to be released out on bail to go back and commit more crimes. This morning, I learned that an individual who was picked up in the burglary and the rioting two days ago was released on bail on a murder three charge. (They were) right back out committing more crimes.”

Hogan introduced a bill in response to crooks who robbed a gun store in Langhorne in the middle of the night.

“If you rob a gun store and steal guns, you are going to jail for a mandatory minimum of time,” said Hogan. “We’re going to take that decision away from these prosecutors who are letting our cities fall into chaos, and we’re going to make sure that if that crime is committed, you are going to jail, and you’re going to be there a long time.”

Rep. K.C. Tomlinson (R-Bensalem) said, “Nearly 40 percent of the crime committed in Bensalem is not committed by Bensalem residents but by individuals crossing over the border from Philadelphia. Sadly, the city continues to send a message of tolerance. I stand here today with my colleagues and law enforcement to make our message very clear: Bucks County will not tolerate what’s going on in the city.”

“We will always fight to maintain the quality of life we enjoy here in Bucks County,” Tomlinson said.