Karen Borders

Karen Borders, president of Borders, McLaughlin & Associates (www.bmaa.com), has made a lifetime career out of helping victims of domestic violence and abuse and is the co-creator of the Family Violence Risk Assessment program that is currently being used extensively in family law courts throughout Southern California. This program assists Judges, Commissioners, Attorneys, and Mental Health providers in determining risk levels to involved parties where serious domestic violence allegations are present. With her expertise in domestic violence, she is considered a leading authority in handling these sensitive and often complex cases.

Prior to founding Borders, McLaughlin and Associates, Ms. Borders had a distinguished law enforcement career of over twenty-two years with a Southern California Police Agency. She is a highly respected and well-known professional with specialized expertise in the area of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual abuse, workplace violence, stalking, inappropriate pursuit, and high profile investigations. Ms. Borders was the first female homicide detective and served as a hostage negotiator on the special tactics response team. She was the originator of the first of its kind family services/domestic violence unit in the Coachella Valley.

Ms. Borders is currently attending Alliant University, California School of Forensic Studies, working on her Doctorate in Forensic Psychology. She has a Masters in Psychology from Pepperdine University. Prior to that she received her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from University of Redlands (Dean's List) and attended the University of Southern California (USC). Ms. Borders is a graduate of the Advanced Threat Assessment and Management Academy, and is a licensed Private Investigator in the state of California.

Having been recognized throughout her career for her expertise in her fields, Ms. Borders has received numerous awards throughout her career. She was listed in the Marquis Who's Who of American Women for twelve years consecutively (1995-2007), and in 2007, she was selected to be listed in the Marquis Who's Who of National Business Leaders. She received the Award of Valor twice (1988, 1994), was Crafton Hills College's law enforcement officer of the year, and recognized for her outstanding community service programs (2000). Ms. Borders is also an accomplished educator and speaker. She has taught countless hours for law enforcement officers, governmental officials, district attorneys, judicial officials and community groups, and has been a featured speaker on several occasions in the areas of domestic violence, workplace violence, stalking and inappropriate pursuit. While serving as co-chair on the Coachella Valley Domestic Violence Task Force, she created and produced a thirty-minute domestic violence special that has aired on community cable. She also co-hosted a community cable television show named "Crime Watch" which offered safety awareness information. Additionally, she is a member of the Gavin de Becker Threat Assessment Practitioner Group, the leading threat assessment and management group in the United States. BMAA is also an active member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals.

Ms. Borders has been the lead consultant in several high profile criminal, civil and family law cases involving allegations of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual abuse, stalking, kidnapping and other serious allegations, and has provided successful threat assessment and management of hundreds of cases.

Frequently called upon as a Domestic Violence Expert, Ms. Borders has testified in criminal, civil and family law proceedings, and is currently the Domestic Violence Expert for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. She has consulted for attorneys representing several California law enforcement agencies on issues of civil liability and criminal proceedings.

Ms. Borders' dedication, commitment and compassion have led her to be the founding member of a domestic violence charitable organization and donate her time and financial resources to several charities that assist domestic violence victims and their families. She is also an active member in her church.

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