Crime Scene Live

Retired · LAPD · Homicide

Don Tabak

Twenty-four years with the Los Angeles Police Department. A career in homicide. The detective who opens the case at Crime Scene Live.

Don Tabak

Who he is

He worked homicide in Los Angeles for a living. The cases he brings into the room are real, closed, and his to tell — and he opens them the way they were actually worked: the scene, the people, the timeline, the thing that didn't fit.

After the badge, the networks came calling. He's been the subject of a full Investigation Discovery episode, appeared in documentary series, and is called on by national and international news outlets when a case needs a detective's read. Today he runs D. Tabak & Associates, a private investigations firm staffed by active and retired federal, state and local law enforcement.

  • Service24+ years, Los Angeles Police Department
  • SpecialtyHomicide investigation
  • NowPrivate investigator · D. Tabak & Associates
  • On stageCrime Scene Live · First Fridays, Santa Monica

See him live →   dontabak.net

“If I committed a crime, the last person I would want on my ass is Don Tabak.”Presiding Judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court

Watch

On screen.

Interview · Behind the Scenes of Homicide and High-Profile Crimes

Crime Scene Live · Official trailer

On the record

Television, documentaries, podcasts.

Television · Investigation Discovery · 2016Real Detective — “Silence”A full episode built around one of Don's cases: a detective hardened by years of Los Angeles homicides, until a victim's mother changes how he sees the work.About the episode → Documentary seriesWhat Happened to Baby JessicaThe 1986 abduction of Jessica Gutierrez, and the 2024 conviction that finally closed it. Don appears as the retired LAPD investigator.Watch → DocumentaryShattered ShieldsInside LAPD misconduct cases and what reform actually looked like from the detective's desk.Watch → Interview · YouTubeBehind the Scenes of Homicide and High-Profile CrimesA long-form sit-down with Barb Allen on how big cases are actually worked, and what the public never sees.Watch → Podcast · Gangland Wire · 2025From Homicide to HollywoodDon's road from LAPD homicide to consulting on screen — and how Crime Scene Live came out of it.Listen → Podcast · The OutlierCrime Scenes Gone WrongAn insider's review of police blunders — the mistakes that break cases, and the ones that don't.Listen → Podcast · True Crime NewsGhost Hunter Becomes the HuntedWith Ana Garcia, on the plot against Ghost Adventures star Aaron Goodwin — how the case was built.Listen → SpeakingPower Talks Speakers BureauHomicide investigations, high-profile cases and leadership under pressure — booked for stages and corporate rooms.Booking → ConsultantOn-air analysisCalled on as an investigations consultant by national and international news outlets when a case needs a detective's read.dontabak.net →
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Press & booking: CrimeSceneLiveLA@gmail.com