Derek Pacifico
Derek Pacifico is a retired law enforcement executive, homicide investigator, instructor, and consultant whose career has given him an uncommon understanding of murder investigations, police procedure, and the people behind the badge.
Raised in Southern California, Derek began his 24-year law enforcement career as a corrections deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. He later served as a patrol deputy in California’s High Desert before being promoted to detective and selected for the department’s Specialized Investigations Division—Homicide Detail. During six years as a homicide investigator, he worked nearly 200 murders, officer-involved shootings, suspicious deaths, and other complex investigations. He later promoted to sergeant and served in a variety of investigative, supervisory, training, and leadership assignments.
After leaving California, Derek served as a chief of police in Tennessee, where he led the redevelopment and modernization of a municipal police department. Following his full-time law enforcement career, he taught criminal justice, developed advanced investigative training programs, and continued sharing his experience with law enforcement professionals, novelists, screenwriters, filmmakers, and other storytellers.
Derek is the creator of *The Writers’ Homicide School*, an interactive educational program that helps crime writers understand how homicide investigations actually unfold—from the discovery of a body and the management of a crime scene to suspect interviews, investigative decision-making, and courtroom preparation. His practical, behind-the-scenes approach has made him a trusted resource for writers seeking authenticity without sacrificing a compelling story.
Married for nearly 30 years and the father of two grown children, Derek divides his time between Virginia and Tennessee. His fiction draws upon decades of firsthand experience investigating violent crime, leading police organizations, and observing human behavior during some of life’s most consequential moments.
