Turu VanderWiel was appointed Chief of Police for Sonora Police Department on May 22nd, 2018. Chief VanderWiel was born and raised in the Sonora community and is a veteran of the United States Army. He began his law-enforcement career with the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department in 1999 and was hired as a Patrol Officer for the City of Sonora in 2004. He was promoted to Sergeant a year later and rose through the ranks to his current position. He holds an Associate’s Degree in Technology and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Management.
Administrative Personnel
Lt. Jennifer Hannula began her law enforcement career in 1994 with the Modesto Police Department and attended the Ray Simon Criminal Justice Training Center. She started her employment with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office in 1996. Over the course of her career, Lt. Hannula has worked in many capacities and therefore has a vast knowledge of law enforcement. She has experience in corrections, patrol, Mobile field force, critical incident negotiations, peer support ,mounted unit, criminal investigations, coroner investigations, and Internal affairs. She has served in the capacity of Field Training Officer, Patrol Sergeant and as a Watch Commander. In January, Lt Hannula joined the Sonora Police Department.
Jennifer believes strongly in community relationships and developed several programs while in Stanislaus County, that gave back to the community. She looks forward to developing and participating in community events that support the Sonora community.
Eric Nygard was born and raised in Santa Clara, California. He attended Independence High School in San Jose, Ca., and later attended San Jose State University, where he studied history. After 22 years of service with the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, Eric Nygard relocated to work for Sonora. Sergeant Nygard states he is excited to be part of the Sonora Police Department and the challenges that await him.
While employed with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, Eric Nygard experienced a variety of assignments, beginning with the detention division, where he was a jail training officer and member of the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT). He later transferred to the Patrol Division, where he worked as a patrol officer, Field Training Officer, and bike patrol officer and was part of the county’s Mutual Aid Mobile Field Force. Most recently he worked in the Investigations Division and gained experience in various aspects of advanced police work, including the Special Victims Unit, Missing Persons, Domestic Violence, Misdemeanor Complaints, and the General Investigation teams.