Todd Vandivert - S2 Episode 1

Todd grew up in Palo Alto, California, where he lived until age 13, when his family moved to Northern Virginia. For most of his life, Todd has enjoyed outdoor activities like scuba diving, fishing, hunting, backpacking, rock climbing, and flying. After graduating from Washington State University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management/Chemistry, he aspired to start a career in wildlife management. Todd began his journey as a game warden with the Washington Department of Game (now the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police) in 1979 and served in three of the state’s six regions, retiring in 2012 after 33 years. Notably, he is believed to be the first game warden in the world to design and build a radio-controlled (robotic) deer decoy, which is now utilized in almost every state across the country. Throughout his career, he held various roles including defensive tactics instructor, critical incident peer support counselor, meth lab tech, and certified polygraph examiner.

Todd also served as editor for both the Washington Game Warden Association magazine and the International Game Warden Magazine.

As a prolific writer, Todd has authored and published twelve books related to game wardens, comprising ten fiction and two non-fiction titles.

He is one of only two officers to have received the WDFW Statewide Officer of the Year award twice. His accolades include the NWTF Officer of the Year award, the WDFW Case of the Year award, the WDFW Detective of the Year award, the Shikar-Safari Club Officer of the Year award, the American Police Hall of Fame award, the Legion of Honor Award, the US Forest Service Award of Merit for Outstanding case, and the NAWEOA (North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association) Outstanding Officer award.