The Internet has become a medium for people to communicate locally or globally in the course of business, education and their social lives. The Internet has made it easy for people to compete, meet a companion or communicate with people on the other side of the world with the click of a mouse. The increased use of the Internet has created an impact on the number of online harassing/cyberstalking cases. Citizens should be able to feel safe when using the Internet without being stalked or harassed.

The purpose of this research study is to explore online harassing/cyberstalking experiences at a Mid-Atlantic university and law enforcement agencies in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. This field project demonstrates that cyberstalking and harassment will only decrease when the extent of the problem is fully understood and potential victims and law enforcement officers understand the protections necessary under the law.

This field project is an exploratory study that surveyed a sample of 302 university students at a Mid-Atlantic university and 102 chiefs of police in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Two separate surveys were administered, one for students and the other for law enforcement. The first survey of undergraduate and graduate students determines the extent and type of cyberstalking that occurs, while a second survey solicited law enforcement agencies to identify the method in which reported cases of cyberstalking are being investigated.