Most people have experienced a moment where something just didn’t feel right: a car that keeps taking the same turns, a person who seems to be everywhere you go, or a sudden sense of unease when you’re walking alone.
At Rocky Mountain Eagle Eye, we’ve investigated many stalking, harassment, and surveillance cases in Colorado.
This guide walks you through what to look for, what steps to take, and how to protect yourself if you believe someone may be following you.
Trust Your Instincts: Why That Feeling Matters
Feeling watched or followed isn’t something to dismiss. 1 in 6 women and 1 in 17 men experience stalking in their lifetime.
What Is Stalking? (CRS 18-3-602)
Stalking is legally defined in Colorado under CRS 18-3-602.
In simple terms, stalking is a pattern of unwanted, repeated behavior that causes a person to feel fear, intimidation, or emotional distress.
Legally, stalking involves:
- A credible threat, and
- Repeated following, surveilling, contacting, or approaching
OR
- A pattern of conduct that causes serious emotional distress, even without a verbal threat.
Common stalking behaviors include:
- Repeatedly showing up at your home, workplace, or public places
- Following you on foot or by vehicle
- Tracking your movements or routines
- Sending persistent unwanted messages or calls
- Using fake accounts to monitor you
- Leaving notes, objects, or “gifts”
- Asking others to gather information on you
- Repeated “coincidental” encounters
What Is Harassment? (CRS 18-9-111)
Harassment is often a precursor to stalking.
Colorado’s harassment law, CRS 18-9-111, includes behavior intended to annoy, alarm, or harass, such as:
- Following someone in a public place
- Repeated unwanted communication
- Threatening language or gestures
- Physical contact meant to harass
- Obscene messages
- Showing up unexpectedly or repeatedly
Harassment does not require a credible threat and does not require a pattern as strong as stalking. Both behaviors matter, and both should be taken seriously.
Stalking may require a pattern…but SAFETY does NOT!
One unusual encounter may be the first sign of a developing pattern.
You never need to wait for “proof” to protect yourself.
Step 1: Identify the Signs of Being Followed
Most people don’t recognize early indicators. Private investigators are trained to notice patterns.
Signs Someone May Be Following You on Foot
🚩 The same person appears near you more than once
🚩 They adjust pace when you do
🚩 They avoid eye contact when noticed
🚩 You spot them in more than one location in the same day
Signs Someone May Be Following You by Car
🚩 A vehicle makes the same unusual or unnecessary turns
🚩 The car maintains a consistent presence behind you
🚩 They change lanes when you change lanes
🚩 They follow through residential or dead-end streets
🚩 You notice the same out of plate license plate
Digital Signs of Stalking
🚩 Always viewing your stories immediately
🚩 New fake accounts watching or messaging you
🚩 Suspicious login attempts
🚩 Unexpected tracking apps or AirTags
If more than one sign occurs consistently, take it seriously.
Step 2: Do NOT Confront the Person
This often escalates the situation.
Confronting someone can:
- Make them more aggressive
- Destroy evidence opportunities
- Increase risk to your safety
- Safety first, documentation second, confrontation never.
Step 3: Change Your Pattern, Safely
Small changes can reveal whether it’s coincidence or a pattern.
Try:
- Turning into a business or a well-lit and crowded parking lot
- Taking a route you don’t normally use
- Making a safe, legal change in direction
- Going to a highly public, monitored place (police station, fire station, grocery store, crowded café)
- If the same person or vehicle keeps appearing after these changes, the situation is not random
Step 4: Document EVERYTHING
This is the step most people miss, and why law enforcement sometimes can’t take action.
Document:
- Dates, times, and locations
- Car make, model, color, license plate
- Descriptions of the person
- Screenshots of digital interactions
- Voicemails, texts, or messages
- Times the individual appeared at your home, workplace, gym, etc.
Include any unusual vehicle identifiers, such as:
- Bumper stickers or decals
- Visible damage or defects
- Missing hubcaps
- Cracked windshield
- Custom lights or accessories
- Obvious modifications
Small details like these often make the difference between identifying a vehicle and losing it in traffic.
- Documentation turns suspicion into a trackable pattern
Step 5: Strengthen Your Digital Safety
Modern stalking is often hybrid, meaning part physical, part digital.
Check for:
- Unknown Bluetooth devices (AirTags)
- Suspicious apps with location permissions
- Shared Apple IDs or Google accounts
- Compromised passwords
- Fake social media accounts
Turn on:
- Two-factor authentication
- Location alerts
- Password managers
Step 6: When to Involve a Private Investigator
A PI can help when:
- You need someone to confirm or deny whether you’re actually being followed
- You don’t feel safe going about your daily routine
- You need evidence for police or court
- You want background information on a suspicious person
- You need digital forensics to check for hacking or tracking
Rocky Mountain Eagle Eye conducts discrete surveillance, digital checks, and protective investigations to determine what’s really going on.
Step 7: When to Involve Law Enforcement
You never need to “wait for more proof” if you feel unsafe. If you’re scared, it is always okay to call the police. Your intuition matters.
Call 911 or local law enforcement immediately if:
- You feel in immediate danger
- A vehicle is following you aggressively
- Someone appears at your home more than once
- You receive threats, harassment, or intimidating messages
- The person tries to approach you or make physical contact
- Your gut tells you something is wrong…trust it
What to Say When Calling 911
Drive to your LOCAL police station while calling 911
Tell the dispatcher:
- Your location
- The vehicle you’re in
- The vehicle following you
- Where you are right now
- Provide a license plate or partial plate if possible
Use CYMBALS for Vehicle Descriptions
C – Color
Y – Year of Make
M – Make and Model
B – Body Style
A – Accessories (tints, stickers, roof racks, damage)
L – License Plate
S – State of Issuance
Dispatchers and officers use this format. If you remember even three of these, it helps.
Case Study: The “Coincidence” That Wasn’t
A young professional in Denver began noticing the same man in places that didn’t make sense: first at her gym, then outside her office building, and later in the parking lot of her apartment complex. At first, she brushed it off; Denver is a big city, but people cross paths…right?
What changed everything was one moment: she took a completely different route home one day, and he showed up again.
What the Investigation Revealed
- He had followed her across three different parts of the city
- His car appeared on security footage on five separate days
- He altered his route multiple times to stay behind her vehicle
- He used fake social media accounts to track her posts
Outcome
With documented evidence, she was able to obtain:
- A temporary protection order, followed by a permanent one
- Increased building security at her residence
- Immediate cessation of all contact, both physical and online
Once the order was served and monitored, the stalking behavior stopped entirely
Quick Safety Checklist
Before you dismiss your instincts, ask yourself:
☐ Have I seen the same person or car multiple times?
☐ Does the timing feel unusual or too consistent?
☐ Have they changed direction when I do?
☐ Have I received strange messages or online activity?
☐ Do I feel fear or unease without knowing why?
If you checked more than two…take it seriously.
Need Help?
If you believe someone may be following you, Rocky Mountain Eagle Eye can help you determine what’s happening and how to protect yourself.
Contact us for a free consultation:
📞 Phone: 303-381-4585
📧 Email: [email protected]
📍 Office: 18475 W Colfax Ave Ste 132, Golden, CO 80401
🌐 Schedule Online: Request Free Consultation
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