High number of obscene phone calls reported

 By RACHEL CAMPBELL
Staff Writer

Reports of obscene phone calls have been on the rise this semester sparking an investigation by the Department of Public Safety.
The increase is largely due to one person, said DPS Deputy Chief Bob Taylor.
"We have one perverted suspect out there making calls," Taylor said. "We are investigating a couple of people right now in connection with the calls."
Many of the reported calls are similar. "Currently the suspect we are looking at calls a female and says, ŒI'm masturbating for you,'" Taylor said.
DPS is investigating the calls by using phone taps. "We can put taps to trace telephone numbers," Taylor said. "We have to have the consent of the victim who tells us when the person calls, then we can trace the phone number of the caller."
The calls started before the semester began when many students were not on campus.
"In the beginning the calls were directed toward RAs and people in student housing early (before classes started)," Taylor said. "It was obvious that he knew who he was calling."
Although the calls were directed toward certain people initially, it is possible that the suspect is now finding random female names and phone numbers from the USC online directory.
"This one particular guy is strange," Taylor said. "Sometimes he asks for a particular person. Sometimes he will call the same person three or four times a day and sometimes he will call three or four different people in the same day, but he always calls females."
The current suspect follows a certain type of behavioral pattern, said Dr. Bradford King, director of Student Counseling Services.
"Some men call to hear a woman's voice and masturbate while on the phone," King said. "These men are trying to fulfill their own fantasies and it is best to hang up on them quickly."
Taylor agreed that hanging up is the best thing to do. "A victim should not engage in a conversation with the person because it encourages him," he said.
Reporting obscene phone calls quickly is also important. "Reporting early helps us because we can look at patterns of other calls made during that time which are similar," Taylor said.
Another precautionary step is to take names and phone numbers off answering machines or voice mail. This gives the caller a name and phone number to call back later.
A few actions that DPS discourages are extending the call to try to figure out who is calling, letting the caller know you are angry or frightened and making a witty response. These types of reactions are usually signs of encouragement to the caller.
Other types of obscene phone calls are being reported. During one of these calls, a person claims he is conducting a survey and has a few questions to ask. The questions eventually become personal and include questions about engaging in sexual acts.
"These calls get the victim involved because she doesn't know what the call is about at first," Taylor said. "In these cases it is best to say, ŒI'm busy right now and can't talk to you."
It is possible for someone to change telephone numbers, but this usually doesn't solve the problem because the suspect is dialing random numbers, Taylor said.
Although it is impossible to classify each perpetrator of obscene phone calls, King said there are specific types of people who participate in the activity.
"One type of person is a male who is immature, not necessarily in age, but in the sense that he is timid, frightened and unable to talk to women face to face," King said.
More aggressive obscene phone calls are most likely made by men who have deeper issues relating back to earlier in there lives, King said.
"Sometimes the calls are personal, like taking revenge on a former girlfriend or boyfriend," he said. "Sometimes men call other men. In these cases it is competition and revenge that drives them."
The Student Counseling Center and the Center for Men and Women offers counseling and advice in dealing with the fear and threat felt by victims of obscene phone calls.
"We would provide victims with support and help them to understand their fears over what happened," King said. "We offer personal counseling that helps people understand why this bothers them individually."
There has been a decrease in the number of reported obscene phone calls in the past few weeks, but DPS is hoping to continue to gather enough evidence to catch the suspect, Taylor said.

Copyright 1998 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 135, No. 59 (Wednesday, December 2, 1998), beginning on page 1 and ending on page 3.