Schumer: Cyber stalking should be federal offense

Local News

Discussion

COMMENTING ON STORIES:

Welcome to our story comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including the unpopular ones. We only ask that you keep your conversations clean, civil and on the topic of the story you are commenting on.

Coinciding with our websites redesign, we launched our new story comments feature through Disqus.

Disqus gives users the ability to log into our story comments feature so that they may be able to track their conversations, receive emails when their comments get a reply or to even have your comments update onto your Facebook or Twitter accounts.

For the time being, our story comments feature will continue to have the ability to post comments anonymously. We reserve the right to require registration in the future using your name and verified email address.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified at the newspaper’s discretion for a number of different reasons. Please follow our Online Rules of Conduct at all times.

RULES OF CONDUCT:

We reserve the right to remove comments that are unacceptable, to wit:

1. False and inacurate statements.
2. Personal attacks. Explicit name-calling.
3. Harassing, harmful, vulgar, obscene and defamatory language.
4. Threatening statements or statements that suggest violence.
5. Hate speech of any kind.
6. Intolerant comments on religion, race, age, gender, sexual preference or disabilities.
7. Accusations of criminal activity.
8. Content that is harmful to children and minors in any way.
9. References to any type of sexual activity and other private matters.
10. Random and inflammatory statements that are off topic.
11. Advertising of any kind.
12. Typing in all caps.

WE ENCOURAGE REASONABLE AND COURTEOUS COMMENTS THAT:

1. Create conversation on issues of interest and concern to fellow readers and local community members.
2. Express opinions and contrarian views.
3. Stimulate debate with respectful language.
4. Stay within the boundaries of these rules.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SUSPEND OR TERMINATE ACCESS FOR:

1. Violating any of these Online Rules of Conduct.
2. Deliberately disrupting discussions with repetitive messages, meaningless messages or spam.
3. Misrepresentation of identity or impersonating another user.

WE WELCOME:

1. Flagging violations of these rules that you observe to our attention.

MONITORING:

We monitor comments regularly Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Approval of comments outside of this time (including weekends) will be sporadic.

comments powered by Disqus

February 2, 2012

BY JOE MAHONEY Staff Writer The Daily Star Thu Feb 02, 2012, 02:30 AM EST

Cyber stalkers who use the Internet to intimidate their spouses, family members or "intimate partners" could be charged with a federal offense under new legislation promoted Wednesday by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

"The Internet has become a forum for stalking and violence," Schumer said in a conference call. "If you use the Internet to intimidate, harass or stalk, it would be a crime, just as if you did it in person."

Schumer called for the broadening of federal anti-stalking laws to "capture all forms of electronic communication" and to include intimidation as a prohibited form of conduct.

He cited state crime statistics showing more than 80,000 domestic violence calls being made to upstate police agencies throughout 2009 and 2010.

He said he did not have immediate statistics available for cyber stalking. But he noted his legislation would also require colleges receiving federal funds to start keeping statistics on instances of cyber stalking, dating violence and other forms of domestic abuse.

Otsego County police agencies fielded a total of 346 domestic violence complaints during 2009 and 2010, according to data released by Schumer's office. The total number of domestic abuse calls during that same two-year window for Delaware County was 402, and for Chenango County it was 472. Schoharie County had 168 such complaints in 2009 and 2010. For all four counties, the number of domestic violence calls in 2010 was below the tallies reported in the previous year.

Schumer said police agencies have made big strides in fighting domestic violence since the days when, he recalled, police officers would often tell victims: "Go home, and settle this with your husband."

"Clearly, we have more work to do," he added.

While the Violence Against Women Act -- which expired a year ago -- was intended to encourage women to report abuse and force police to start investigating such reports, Schumer said fear continues to prevent many victims from contacting police after they have been harmed.

"No one should be forced to hide in the shadows," the senator said. He said his legislation would create a reserve of grant money for the Services-Training-Officers-Prosecutors program to help train law enforcement officers in techniques to prevent and deter dating violence, stalking and domestic abuse.

It would also provide funding to sexual-assault response teams in rural areas of the state, he said. In combination with funding for lab testing of forensic examination kits, the program "will help ensure swift justice for thousands of victims of sexual violence," Schumer said.

Schumer noted he was among the original sponsors of the Violence Against Women Act when he served as a member of the House of Representatives, representing Brooklyn. Over the past six years, he said, New York police agencies have received more than $145 million in federal funds as a result of that legislation.