DSP News Release: Wednesday, March 04, 2009- State Police Address Texting and Harassment
 

Location of Incident: State of Delaware

Date and Time of Occurrence: Current Issue

Resume: An article by Carolyn Thompson from the Associated Press ran nationally today in regards to texting and harassment.  Although Delaware was not specifically mentioned, this report proved to be an appropriate segway to discuss the issue locally.

Here in the ‘First State,’ many of incidents of harassment occur every year and many of which go unreported.  For those which are investigated by law enforcement, harassment comes in many forms. 

Prior to the advent of the texting, it was common for one person to bother another person by calling them repeatedly, persistently sending one letters or pestering another directly in person.  As the article by Ms. Thompson addresses, harassment by texting is now on the rise- and is ever so prevalent in Delaware. 

Why texting?  Texting itself has become an accepted means of communication for all generations using cell phones.  It’s quick, to the point and depending on the wireless plan one may have, it’s cheap. 

Harassment is harassment is harassment.  The fact of the matter is that harassment in any form is unacceptable.  It does not matter if it is via a phone call or a text message.  If someone is being repeatedly bothered by another person, law enforcement can get involved. 

There are steps one can take in regards to this issue. 

• Tell the person who is bothering ‘you’ to leave ‘you’ alone. The earlier the perpetrator knows his or her behavior is unacceptable, the sooner it may stop.
• Save the text messages to show an investigator the frequency and content of the text messages.
• Call sooner than later.  Do not let the situation escalate by putting up with this kind of communication.
• Don’t take threatening messages for granted.  A threat is the same weather one says it or texts it. 
• Consider changing one’s cell phone number.  Although this step is drastic, it may alleviate the issue.

Parents should speak to their kids about this issue too.  If one should think that texting among adults is prevalent, try the ‘Z’ generation.  Children and teens of all ages commonly have cell phones now, and with cell phones also comes a potential medium for harassment.

In the not too distant past, teens might harass their peers by passing the note in the classroom or whispering a damaging rumor in the hallway.  Texting has proven to be an effective method to pass along this kind of information at a lighting pace. 

When addressing this issue with children and teens, it is important to underscore the idea that harassment via text message is just as hurtful as saying it directly to someone. If certain factors are present, it may also be criminal.

The point of this release is to shed some light on the issue of harassment as it pertains to texting here in Delaware.  There are steps one can take in addressing the issue and no one should have to stand for being victimized.