When someone is being targeted or harmed, a pressing question is worth asking: what does it really take to arrest someone who is targeting or harming you? When you’re on the receiving end of seemingly relentless torment, the question gnaws at you: if the police know where this person is, why aren’t they making an arrest?
Bad Actors may treat the situation like an open invitation to continue a campaign of abuse; a loophole that they love to exploit. And when the police know who they’re dealing with, and seem to ignore it, it’s tempting to chalk it up to negligence, however, the reality is far more complicated.
Why Police Sometimes Hold Back
Even when the location of a suspect is known, there are several reasons law enforcement may not act right away:
- Jurisdictional red tape: If the person is outside the local jurisdiction, a warrant and inter-agency coordination are required before arrest.
- Evidentiary building: Prosecutors may push for more evidence to ensure charges stick. A rushed arrest can mean a weak case later.
- Prioritization: Resource-strapped departments often put violent crimes ahead of harassment complaints, even when victims are in danger.
- Federal coordination: If threats cross state lines, involve the internet, or tie to weapons charges, higher government agencies like the FBI or ATF may be involved, slowing local action.
- Safety concerns: Sometimes police choose to wait to make the arrest under controlled conditions, especially if the suspect is known to be volatile.
Out of all the reasons above, I believe safety is probably the one cited the most. No police officer is going to willingly walk into a shootout situation.
Civil Remedies Aren’t Enough
As a result of the red tape, victims are often told to pursue civil orders, restraining orders, cease-and-desist letters, or protective orders. But these remedies cannot stop harassment in its tracks.
At best, they create a paper trail.
At worst, they embolden severely mentally ill abusers who already view civil filings as toothless without immediate enforcement.
The Michigan Gap
The gap lies between knowing and acting. Police can know exactly where someone is, yet until a bad actor’s behavior escalates to meet arbitrary criteria. This leaves victims in limbo, creating additional trauma, sitting in fight-or-flight mode, waiting for things to get bad enough before the system steps in.
And that gap is exactly where harassers thrive, manipulating the line between civil and criminal, tormenting their victims with a false sense of impunity. Bad actors know the line because they have spent a lifetime crossing it and traumatizing others.
Why This Matters
Every delay sends a message: that bad behavior is tolerable even if it tips into terror. It shouldn’t take escalation for law enforcement to act. Michigan’s laws need massive reform; not just clearer definitions of harassment and stalking, but stronger mechanisms for proactive intervention when patterns are emerging and someone is clearly escalating.
Until then, victims remain trapped in a cycle where the law acknowledges their fear only after it has consumed them.
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