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Retired agent Sonja Nordstrom served in the FBI for 23 years. She was assigned to the Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City Divisions and specialized in the investigation of violent crimes and Internet Crimes Against Children.
In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, Sonja Nordstrom, a certified K9 search and recovery handler and trainer, reviews her journey with her dogs, the role the dog plays in a case, how they can best benefit a case, different uses in cases/capabilities of dogs, and highlights some of their successful cases.
Sonja certified as an FBI General Police Instructor and provided training to federal agents and hundreds of local law enforcement personnel on topics, including the use of K9s in missing person/homicide cases. She served as a Relief Supervisor for the Violent Crime Squad, Primary Relief Supervisor of the FBI Los Angeles Bank Robbery Squad, the Senior Resident Agent of the Lancaster RA, and as the Innocent Images National Initiative (IINI) Coordinator and National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crimes (NCAVC) Coordinator for the Salt Lake City Division.
After certifying her dog, Sonja served as the K9 Specialist member of the Los Angeles FBI Evidence Response Team (ERT) for approximately ten years.
She began working with K9 Search and Recovery as a volunteer in 1995. She completed thousands of hours of training under nationally and internationally recognized K9 trainers, attained state and national level search dog certifications, and completed hundreds of field missions with her K9s for the FBI and local law enforcement, both professionally and as a volunteer.
Her K9 Search and Recovery deployments with the FBI ERT included supporting kidnap/homicide investigations throughout the Western United States, in high threat locations within Mexico, in the Middle East, and several disaster scene deployments to include the Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks.
Now retired, Sonja volunteers as the President, Lead Trainer, and Handler for Great Basin K9 SAR, and deploys with her 5th certified K9 supporting searches for the FBI, local law enforcement agencies. She has also deployed to Europe with her K9 to help locate the remains of WWII MIA soldiers.
Since retiring from the FBI, Sonja is now the owner/operator of Heimdallr K9 Services, an international provider of personal and executive protection K9s, and Sonja’s Dog Training, which provides local training services and seminars and workshops for SAR and Detection K9s. Her new podcast, K9 Top Tales. Features working K9 case reviews ~ real-life stories of K9 warriors, crime fighters, protectors, and rescuers as told by their Law Enforcement, Military, and Search & Rescue Handlers and Partners. You can learn more about Heimdallr K9 Services and listen to her podcast on her website Sonja’s Dog Training.
Special Agent (Retired)
Sonja Nordstrom
1991 – 2014
“In search and recovery, I’ve seen remarkable things, but I certainly don’t promise them. There has to be a realistic expectation of the use of a canine as a tool, the capabilities and the limitations.”—Retired Agent Sonja Nordstrom
The following are links to articles about K9 Search and Recovery cases where Sonja’s dogs were used to assist with search and recovery investigations for the FBI, local and international cases:
YouTube Video – Burleigh’s Story – World War II Recovery Documentary
Barkpost Blog – 14 Dog Breeds With A Nose For Sniffing Out Crime
*BONUS *GIVEAWAY* from –FBI Word Search Puzzles: Fun for Armchair Detectives. Click, print, and enjoy!
I love your podcast Jerri! And this episode was definitely my favourite. Excited to do some nosework with my long haired German Shepard!
I will make sure Sonja knows. Thanks for listening!
Fantastic episode!
Human meringue ….You’ve gotta keep that as a future Bonus Episode: Jerri’s Bloopers! Excellent interview…I’ve paid attention to K9 work but learned a lot from this!
One thing the public needs to know is that if a K9 is searching in their neighborhood, they should STAY INSIDE. People going out & watching from their patio can throw the dog off his/her focus.
Haha! I almost edited it out, but decided to keep it in. I loved this episode too.
I think this podcast with Sonja Wordstrom is my favorite. Maybe it is just the K9 that put it over the top.
I found it a fascinating interview too!