Biography

RHONDA B. SAUNDERS
International Advisor & Consultant on Stalking

For the past 24 years, Ms. Saunders has been a criminal prosecutor. She established S.T.A.T. (Stalking and Threat Assessment Team) for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and the L.A. Stalking Task Force. Some of her many successful stalking and threat prosecutions include convicting Robert Hoskins of stalking and making terrorist threats against the entertainer Madonna, Fernando Rodarte of making threats against Los Angeles Supervisor Gloria Molina, Jonathan Norman of stalking Producer/Director Steven Spielberg, Dante Soiu of stalking actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Marlon Pagtakhan of cyberstalking "Star Trek’s" Producer Brannon Bragga and actress Jerri Ryan and Mark Hatten who threatened Anna Nicole Smith and assaulted her elderly neighbor when he came to her defense. Ms. Saunders obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Southern California Law School in 1982.

Ms. Saunders is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of stalking, workplace violence and criminal threats. She has lectured to prosecutors, law enforcement, and victim advocacy groups in such places as Alaska, New Mexico, Louisiana, New York, Washington, D.C., Kassel, Germany and London, England. Between 1998 through 2004 she was on the faculty of the United States Secret Service Threat Assessment Center in their training division. In 1994, she revised California’s Stalking Law Penal Code Section 646.9, so that law enforcement and the courts can now effectively protect victims from this crime; in 1997 she wrote Penal Code Section 646.92, which allows law enforcement to issue emergency restraining orders in stalking and workplace violence cases; and in 2000 she increased the penalties for aggravated stalking. Between 1999 - 2004, Ms. Saunders was President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP). In August 2000, she was awarded the ATAP National Achievement Award; in 2001 was given the Woman of Distinction Award by Soroptimist International in recognition of her contributions to combating stalking and workplace violence; and in 2004 she received a recognition award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for her efforts in supporting victims of this crime. In November, 2005, Ms Saunders participated in a symposium at the invitation of the German government to establish a criminal stalking law in that country. That law went into effect in January, 2007.

Media appearances as a consultant and expert in stalking have included "The Today Show" (2008); Dr. Phil Show (2007-2009); TV Guide Network "411" (2007-2009); Katy Couric CBS News (2009), the DVD Special Edition of "Misery", (added feature) (2007); The Catherine Cryer Show (Court TV, 2004, 2005); Hollywood Heat (Court TV, 2005), Entertainment Tonight (2005-2007), Soap Talk (2004); Access Hollywood (NBC) (1995-2009); Showtime Cable's "The Making of the Fan"; the E-Entertainment Network Documentary "The Stalking and Killing of Rebecca Schaeffer" E Entertainment International; Eclipse Productions: a twelve part documentary on stalking airing in Europe; MSNBC and BBC's "Stalking the Stalker". In 2004, Court TV aired "Reasonable Fear" based on three of Ms. Saunders prior stalking prosecutions. In 2005-2006, Court TV presented a three part documentary, "The Investigators" based on eight more of Ms. Saunders stalking cases. She has made frequent appearances on CNN's "ISSUES" with Jane Velez Mitchell and "EXTRA" as their consultant on stalking. In May 2009, she made an appearance on CNN's Anderson Coopers "360" show discussing campus stalking and violence.

Ms. Saunders has published articles on stalking and workplace violence in the Entertainment edition of the L.A. Lawyer Magazine, and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department monthly magazine Star News. Her chapter, "Stalking From A Legal Perspective," appears in the book, The Psychology of Stalking, edited by Dr. J. Reid Meloy, published by Academic Press (May, 1998); In July 2008, her chapter on "Psychological Issues Involved in the Prosecution of Celebrity Stalking Cases" was published in, Stalking, Threats, and Attacks Against Public Figures, edited by J.R. Meloy, L. Sheridan and J. Hoffman: Oxford Univ. Press. Her new book "Whisper of Fear" The True Story of the Prosecutor Who Stalks the Stalkers" was released in November, 2008 by Berkley Press.

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