Karl is a 14 year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. As a Deputy Sheriff he has worked custody, patrol, court services, warrants and finally as a Technical Operations Detective working as a part of the Southern California High Tech Crime Task Force.

However, that isn’t where his experience ends, it also includes the medical field where he worked as a Surgical Technician and in EMS (NREMT-B). He has gathered his real life experiences and knowledge and now proudly works  as a multifaceted Technical Advisor in Hollywood.

Karl is currently the Technical Advisor for the hit CBS show The Mentalist. He is also one of the Technical Advisors on Rizzoli & Isles on TNT. Karl has worked on Lie to Me, The Closer, as well as Eli Stone, Shark, Women’s Murder Club and Law and Order: SVU.

KARL SONNENBERG - POLICE & MEDICAL TECHNICAL ADVISOR

“My role as a Technical Advisor is one of support.  I consider myself a resource for Writers, Actors and Directors, but It goes beyond that. I try to provide solid information to wardrobe, special  effects and I like to work collaboratively with Stunt Coordinators. I love my role and  it’s a great experience to be a part of the process  of making good TV and fun entertainment.”

Writers: It starts with the words. Working with the writers and getting the correct jargon and phrases in dialogue is an absolute. More than that, it’s working hand-in-hand with the writer to get the essence of what they are trying to express off the page for the actors.

Actors: There’s nothing more satisfying to me than working together with an actor and then see the results on the screen. When an actor takes hold of the physicality of what we’re working on and then breathes life into it is an awesome experience for me. I don’t just teach the mechanics of movement, weapons, searching, handcuffing; I teach actors how to THINK like a cop.

Directors: When I work with a collaborative director on a scene and we successfully blend as much reality as we can into their vision of the scene, it is magical to me. Is that corny? Some may say so but I’m smitten by the magic of making television and I never want to lose the wonder of it all.