Being that this is a privacy matter, if you are on the ground floor or in an area where people could be looking in, keep the blinds pulled when it is after dark. Make sure to check around and to call your local officers if you think there are people out there doing that. You can also call your neighbors and see if they have had anything like this happen or if they have noticed anything suspicious. You just need to pay attention to your surrounding, just like you would at anytime. |
I think that anybody can fit the profile to be a victim of this. It is more of a crime of opportunity. Somebody just realizes that there is a chance that they can look in on somebody. It is probably incidental who they end up picking. My experience with it is that if it is someone that you know, it is probably more a case of harassment. Most of the time the person probably does not even know them. |
If a peeping Tom is caught, they will be charged. If it happens on campus, they will be charged both on campus and in the Buncombe County court system. If they live in resident housing and it was appropriate, they might lose their resident housing and up to expulsion, considering how serious the offense. |
Obviously I don't agree with that conclusion, but we haven't decided on our next step. |
Sadly, regardless of where you live today, some people are going to take any opportunity available if you give it to them. It is definitely more of an urban thing where people are living closer to one another and you have a higher rate of people on foot traffic. |
There is no law or regulation anywhere that says this information is illegal. |
We respond once we have had a call. We will usually dispatch officers to the scene and look for any suspects. We will make sure that the person that called is all right. We will start an investigation by interviewing them and checking for any evidence. We would heighten our patrol in that area whether it be by car or by foot and that is what we have done is this past particular instance. |