John J. Nazarian has done it all, and along the way, he has seen it all. He’s been a police officer, a prison guard, and now, he’s one of the best and most respected private investigators in Los Angeles.
But even before all of that, he was putting people away. Born and raised in Boston, John had an uncle who ran a funeral parlor. It made an impression. “Every time I saw Uncle Aram,” he recalls, “he was dressed nice, preferably dark suits, and he always had nice cars, which was a real fascination — still is, in fact.” It also led to future employment; he moved to California and began a three-year apprenticeship as an undertaker. That job, he says, “really was an entrée to the celebrity world for me. I was getting to see all these famous people, like Cass Elliott, Freddie Prinze, Jack Benny. Unfortunately, they were dead! But little did I know that later on I’d be working with many who were still alive.”
Nazarian began his law enforcement career with the California Department of Corrections in the early ‘80s, when he worked at some of the state’s most dangerous institutions. He was rapidly promoted to the administration level, handling critical investigations (including organized crime, gangs, and drug trafficking) in coordination with other law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and internationally.
In the mid-‘80s, he joined the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department and attended the College of the Redwoods in Eureka, California (formal studies include university programs in Administration of Justice and Criminology, in which he holds two degrees). Then, in the early ‘90s, he joined the Police Department in Mendota, California, where, as a uniformed officer, he developed and supervised a juvenile division to better handle the gang problems that plagued the city, with great success.
All told, he spent about 12 years in public law enforcement. “I made one important discovery: I know what it’s like to drive a police car, and I know what it’s like to sit in the back of one. It’s a lot more fun driving them.”
Next came his career as a private investigator. Now, after 15 years of reliably, quickly, discreetly, and effectively solving his clients’ problems, he has garnered a reputation — and a fee schedule — befitting LA’s top private investigator. The secret to his success lies in the fact that he is simply the best at what he does, combining his remarkably broad experience with innate street smarts and unflagging dedication to his clients, and earning the admiration and fierce loyalty of virtually everyone who has engaged his services.
John is an accomplished chef and loves to improvise in the kitchen. He has a Bentley, a Rolls, and a limo in the garage, and a herd of Chihuahuas in the house. But he is most proud of his two adopted sons, Mike and Chris, who frequently assist in his investigations.
