Todd Vandivert was a game warden for 34 years with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, and now writes books about his experiences. He worked both as a uniformed officer and also as an undercover officer, making multiple cases in each position. Todd’s work as an author is well-known, especially his book Operation Cody in which he breaks down his role in the operation. In this episode, Todd discusses his upbringing, work as a warden, and life as an author.
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Wildlife Heritage Foundation of NH
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Here’s What We Discuss:
- Started with bighorn sheep
- One toe in the water
- Wildlife trafficker, cock fighting, and marijuana growth
- Being a uniformed officer is more dangerous than undercover
- Dangerous individual
- Operation shut down early
- Breaks to the media
- The takedown
- Detailing the cockfights
- Didn’t write the book to make money
- Small circles of people
- Bigger busts undercover
- Hard to kick a case down the road with a good case in your hands
- Sturgeon caviar
- Only would talk to Russians
- Officer exchanges
- 6 written books
- Examine the crime scene: physical evidence but no suspect
- The individual who didn’t lie
- Rolled into a larger case
- Put yourself in other’s shoes
- Bear poop in my mouth