Factors associated with calling the police in response to physical assaults include when the crime involves a weapon, when the victim is older, whether the victim is married, first-time victims, and if it involves African Americans or poorer individuals. The most visible formal response to a criminal incident is an arrest. Factors that seem to influence police arrest decisions include the level of potential risk to the victim, when there is an injury, when a weapon is involved, if the offender is non-white, and victim and suspect demeanor toward officers. Domestic violence can involve such charges as assault, battery, rape, or stalking. Stalking is frequently defined as repeated, unwanted contact, actual or implied threats, or other behavior that places the victim in fear. The data for this study came from the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS), which consisted of 8,000 men and 8,000 women 18 years and older residing in the United States. Physical assault and stalking victims were asked if the incident was reported to the police. Respondents who answered in the affirmative were then queried about the subsequent police action. Results showed that, with the exception of the police response in stalking calls, legal decisions were made based on the social structure of the case and the social characteristics of each person involved. Law and justice for these crimes were not applied and administered equally to all individuals as the model of law suggests. Extra-legal factors, such as gender, age, and the use of drugs and alcohol, influenced whether the police were notified and whether the police responded with a formal action. The legal and extra-legal factors that traditionally emerge as important when examining police responses to domestic violence are not relevant when attention turns to stalking. These findings suggest that the phenomenon of stalking and the way in which the police handle these calls demand more thorough and intense scrutiny. 2 tables, 48 references, appendix