A criminal defendant is targeting me

Open a case-tied incident log.

One file. Every entry tagged with case number, named defendant, and any known associate. Date, time, location, what happened, who saw it.

Screenshot and preserve everything.

Texts, voicemails, social media posts, doorbell footage, license plates of unfamiliar cars near the house. Save originals before anything gets deleted.

Tell your partner or a supervisor verbally.

Even before the formal report. A verbal heads-up creates a witness who can confirm the timeline if the defendant's attorney later challenges it.

Notify the prosecuting attorney's office.

Their threat-assessment or witness-protection desk. Targeting of a witness — including an officer-witness — affects bail conditions, plea posture, and trial security. They want to know immediately.

Notify your chain of command.

A defendant targeting an officer is an operational risk for the whole unit. Your supervisor needs to flag patrol patterns, partner pairing, and any joint responses involving the defendant or associates.

Pull associate names and known addresses from the case file.

Anyone who could carry out the targeting on the defendant's behalf. Cross-reference with any unfamiliar contact you have logged. Patterns matter.

File a formal report tied to the case number.

Outside your own command if the case is internal. The report is what supports a no-contact order, modified bail, or new charges. Bring the log, screenshots, and case context.

Request judicial security or witness-protection resources.

For prosecutors and judges, the court system has security protocols — temporary marshal coverage, courthouse parking, escort. For officers, your department's threat-assessment unit is the contact.

Ask the prosecutor about bail or release modifications.

Documented targeting often supports a no-contact order, electronic monitoring, or revocation of release. The prosecutor needs the documentation to make the motion.

Run a free scan on yourself and household.

See the free scan. Defendants and their associates use the same broker pages anyone else does to find an officer's home address. The scan shows what is currently visible.

Broker cleanup with attention to family addresses.

Spouse, parents, adult kids on linked addresses. Targeting often shifts to family when the officer is harder to reach directly. Closing the family pages closes the alternate route.

For NJ residents, file Daniel's Law demands for the household.

See Daniel's Law. Covered officers, prosecutors, judges, and family members at the same residence get $1,000 per violation if a broker fails to remove within ten business days.

Brief the household on associate names and vehicles.

Spouse and adult kids should know the names and any photos available. Not to confront — to recognize and report. A photo recognized at a gas station is intelligence.

Federal escalation when threats reference the case.

Threats against a federal witness or official are federal crimes. State witness-targeting often qualifies under federal obstruction statutes. The local FBI or US Attorney's office is the channel.

Push for new charges, not just bail modification.

Witness intimidation and obstruction are charges in their own right. A clean log behind them gives the prosecutor real leverage on the underlying case as well.

Temporary relocation if the threat is sustained.

Department safe house, hotel, out-of-state relative. Two weeks usually breaks the pattern while the legal layer catches up. Use the protocol without shame.

Continuous broker cleanup.

A one-time opt-out delays the listing. Most brokers re-list within 3-6 months. Continuous coverage re-checks every two weeks across 200+ broker sites and re-files the day you reappear.

Treat every major case as a privacy event.

A high-profile arrest, a violent-felony case, an officer-involved shooting — these draw broker re-listings and search activity. A pre-trial sweep of the household is cheap insurance.

Sweep the household quarterly.

Brokers link the officer to spouse, parents, adult kids on the same record. Closing one address closes the others. Quarterly review catches re-listings before a defendant or associate finds them.