SAVVY! - Stalking Help

Emergency Numbers

*For immediate help, call 911.

**The following numbers are provided specifically for residents of Clay, Union, and Turner Counties in the state of South Dakota.

Sheriff’s Office/Police Department
Vermillion Police (605) 677-7070
Clay County Sheriff (605) 677-7100
Elk Point Police (605) 356-2184
Union County Sheriff (605) 356-2679
Beresford Police (605) 763-2000
Turner County Sheriff (605) 297-3225
Clay County State’s Attorney (605) 677-7107
Union County State’s Attorney (605) 356-2666
Turner County State’s Attorney (605) 297-3975
Health Care
Sanford Vermillion Medical Center (605) 624-2611
USD Student Health (605) 624-9111
Clay County Health Nurse (605) 677-6767
Viborg Pioneer Hospital (605) 326-5161
Turner County Nurse (605) 297-4472
Union County Nurse (605) 356-2644
USD Family Planning (605) 677-5278
Julian Hall 336 - HIV, STD Testing
Counseling Services
USD Counseling Center (605) 677-5777
Lutheran Social Services 1-800-568-2401
Lews & Clark Behavioral Health Services (605) 665-4606
USD Psychological Services (605) 677-5354
Sexual Assault Support Group
Citizens Against Rape & Domestic Violence (605) 339-0116
Sexual Assault Support Group in Sioux Falls, SD
Community Services
Rural Office of Community Services 1-800-254-6110
Provides rent assistance & weatherization for low income households
Vermillion Food Pantry (605) 677-5777
Ask for Matt Stricherz
Southeast Job Link (605) 677-6900
Vermillion Area Job Service (605) 677-6900
Domestic Violence Safe Option Services (605) 624-5311
Can provide rent, medical, legal, and social service assistance, transportation, clothing, and food assistance
South Dakota Department of Social Services (605) 677-6800
Food Stamps, TANF, Child Protection Services, Adult Services, & Aging
South Dakota Housing (605) 624-2605
Rent assistance for low-income families
What To Do If You Or Someone You Know Is Being Stalked:
Finding Safety with a Protective Order:
  • If you or your children have been threatened or assaulted, you can request a protective order from the District/County Attorney’s Office.
  • Always keep your protective order with you.
  • Call the police if your partner violates the protective order.
  • Inform family members, friends, and neighbors.
  • Think of alternative ways to keep safe if the police do not respond immediately.
Finding Safety in your own Residence:
  • If you stay in your home, lock your windows and change the locks on your doors as soon as possible.
  • Develop a safety plan with your children for times when you are not with them.
  • Inform your children's school, day care, etc., about who has permission to pick up your children.
  • Inform neighbors and the landlord that your partner no longer lives with you, and that they should call the police if they see him/her near your home.
  • Never tell the abuser where you live. Never call the abuser from your home because the abuser may find out where you live.
  • Request an unlisted/unpublished number from the telephone company.
Finding Safety on the Job and in Public:
  • Inform someone at work of your situation. Include the security officers at work and provide them with a picture of your batterer.
  • Have someone screen your telephone calls at work.
  • Have someone escort you to and from your car, bus, or train.
  • Use a variety of routes to come and go from home.
For Teens in a Violent Dating Relationship
  • Decide which friend, teacher, relative, or police officer you can tell.
  • Contact an advocate at the court to decide how to obtain a restraining order and make a safety plan.
What Is Stalking

Stalking can be defined as a pattern of repeated and unwanted attention, harassment, contact, or any other course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.

It is a course of conduct that can include:

  • Repeated, unwanted, intrusive, and frightening communications from the perpetrator by phone, mail, and/or email.
  • Repeatedly leaving or sending victim unwanted items, presents, or flowers.
  • Following or laying in wait for the victim at places such as home, school, work, or recreation place.
  • Making direct or indirect threats to harm the victim, the victim's children, relatives, friends, or pets.
  • Damaging or threatening to damage the victim's property
  • Harassing victim through the internet.
  • Posting information or spreading rumors about the victim on the internet, in a public place, or by word of mouth.
  • Obtaining personal information about the victim by accessing public records, using internet search services, hiring private investigators, going through the victim's garbage, following the victim, contacting victim's friends, family work, or neighbors, etc.

Sources: Stalking Resource Center and the National Center for Victims of Crime.

Stalking Fact Sheet

This fact sheet PDF File published by The National Center for Victims of Crime contains important information about what stalking is, how it affects people, and how to get help. It is available in Adobe PDF format. If you do not have a PDF viewer, Adobe Reader can be downloaded for free.

Stalking Myths

This document PDF file addresses a number of common but dangerous myths about stalking, like "stalking is creepy but not dangerous" and "stalking is annoying but not illegal." It was published by The National Center for Victims of Crime. It is available in Adobe PDF format. If you do not have a PDF viewer, Adobe Reader can be downloaded for free.

Just for Friends

The National Center for Victims of Crime also produced this useful document devoted helping friends PDF file who you think may have been the victim of a crime. It is available in Adobe PDF format. If you do not have a PDF viewer, Adobe Reader can be downloaded for free.