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Ed NordskogCriminal Profiler/Case Analyst-Fire Death Scenes, Serial Arsonists, Arsonists and Bombers Master Certified Fire Investigator
Instructor/Author/Lecturer Ed is a retired Detective who spent 34 years with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. For his final 21 years, he was assigned as a full time Arson/Bomb Investigator and Hazardous Device (bomb) Technician. Ed investigated 2,100 arson cases and arrested/interviewed/prosecuted 300 persons for arson related offenses. He testified as an expert in fire/arson on over 95 cases, including multiple serial arson cases, multiple “cold case” arson |
murders, body dumps, suicides by fire, filicides by fire, mass casualty events, accidental fire deaths, and Death Penalty cases. He was involved in over 60 fatal fire investigations and 46 serial arson investigations. He has personally conducted “render safe operations ” on 540 suspected hazardous devices. Ed has worked with multiple police homicide units and prosecutors in reviewing and prosecuting “cold case” arson murders and other fire deaths, along with several dozen serial arson cases and others related to the bomb/arson field.
Ed has long volunteered his expertise and services to more than 150 law enforcment agencies in more than twenty U. S. states, Canada, Greece, South Africa, Norway, Indonesia, Columbia, and China. Ed has provided investigative analysis, profiling, and expert opinions to multiple media and academic entities, as well as book authors and historical researchers; to include looking at cold cases and historical arson and bombing events as far back as the 1880’s. He has even been asked to examine multiple “cult related” arson/bombing events.
Ed’s cases have been used as a basis for stories on a half-dozen television dramas, and his actual cases have been featured on multiple “true crime” shows. He has provided expertise to writer’s teams for several Hollywood shows. Ed has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Bemidji State University, where he was named “Outstanding Student in Criminal Justice”. He has a Master’s of Science degree from Cal State Long Beach.
Ed served eleven years (active and Reserve) in the U.S. Marines; working in Field Artillery, Nuclear Weapons, and on a Terrorist Counter-Action team. He attained the rank of Captain. Ed is a long time instructor for various unique topics within the arson investigation field. He instructs for California State POST in the following courses: Homicide (Fire Death) Investigations; Basic Arson/Explosion Investigations; Advanced Arson/Explosion Investigation. He also continues to be an instructor for the FBI’s Post Blast Investigation course, a course he has been involved in for over 20 years.
Ed has presented dozens of training classes in multiple states and Canada for the International Association of Arson Investigators and the California Conference of Arson Investigators. Ed’s courses include: Fire Death Scene Analysis; Serial Arson Investigations/Profiling; Major Fraud/Complex Arson Investigation; Analysis of Incendiary Devices. Ed works in the private sector as a Consultant/Analyst to police agencies, prosecutors, and civil attorneys on selected arson and fire issues. He is the host of a yearly Wildland Arson Investigation conference in Reno.
Ed has been a Certified Fire Investigator since 2001, and a Master Certified Fire Investigator since 2017.
Author: “Torchered Minds-Case Histories of Notorious Serial Arsonists”
Author: “Fireraisers, Freaks and Fiends-Obsessive Arsonists in the California Foothills”
Author: “The Arsonist Profiles”
Author: “Incendiary Devices: Investigation and Analysis”
Author: “Fire Death Scene Investigation”
Awards: IAAI Investigator of the Year-2004; IASIU Law Enforcement Officer of the Year-2004; Peace Officers of Los Angeles County Outstanding Achievement-Investigations- 2012; Cal State POST Instructor of the Year-2013 and 2015; IAAI Outstanding Accomplishment-Investigations-2016; an additional 90 medals or commendations for various criminal investigations.
Ed has long volunteered his expertise and services to more than 150 law enforcment agencies in more than twenty U. S. states, Canada, Greece, South Africa, Norway, Indonesia, Columbia, and China. Ed has provided investigative analysis, profiling, and expert opinions to multiple media and academic entities, as well as book authors and historical researchers; to include looking at cold cases and historical arson and bombing events as far back as the 1880’s. He has even been asked to examine multiple “cult related” arson/bombing events.
Ed’s cases have been used as a basis for stories on a half-dozen television dramas, and his actual cases have been featured on multiple “true crime” shows. He has provided expertise to writer’s teams for several Hollywood shows. Ed has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Bemidji State University, where he was named “Outstanding Student in Criminal Justice”. He has a Master’s of Science degree from Cal State Long Beach.
Ed served eleven years (active and Reserve) in the U.S. Marines; working in Field Artillery, Nuclear Weapons, and on a Terrorist Counter-Action team. He attained the rank of Captain. Ed is a long time instructor for various unique topics within the arson investigation field. He instructs for California State POST in the following courses: Homicide (Fire Death) Investigations; Basic Arson/Explosion Investigations; Advanced Arson/Explosion Investigation. He also continues to be an instructor for the FBI’s Post Blast Investigation course, a course he has been involved in for over 20 years.
Ed has presented dozens of training classes in multiple states and Canada for the International Association of Arson Investigators and the California Conference of Arson Investigators. Ed’s courses include: Fire Death Scene Analysis; Serial Arson Investigations/Profiling; Major Fraud/Complex Arson Investigation; Analysis of Incendiary Devices. Ed works in the private sector as a Consultant/Analyst to police agencies, prosecutors, and civil attorneys on selected arson and fire issues. He is the host of a yearly Wildland Arson Investigation conference in Reno.
Ed has been a Certified Fire Investigator since 2001, and a Master Certified Fire Investigator since 2017.
Author: “Torchered Minds-Case Histories of Notorious Serial Arsonists”
Author: “Fireraisers, Freaks and Fiends-Obsessive Arsonists in the California Foothills”
Author: “The Arsonist Profiles”
Author: “Incendiary Devices: Investigation and Analysis”
Author: “Fire Death Scene Investigation”
Awards: IAAI Investigator of the Year-2004; IASIU Law Enforcement Officer of the Year-2004; Peace Officers of Los Angeles County Outstanding Achievement-Investigations- 2012; Cal State POST Instructor of the Year-2013 and 2015; IAAI Outstanding Accomplishment-Investigations-2016; an additional 90 medals or commendations for various criminal investigations.