Men To Watch 2025 honoree Alfred S. Titus, Jr.

Dr. Alfred S. Titus, Jr., currently serves as the Director of Training with the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. In this role, he oversees training by evaluating current programs, developing and implementing new initiatives, conducting research, and carrying out the ongoing evolution of the first response mission by addressing the training challenges of the current and next generation of emergency personnel, first responders, and public safety professionals.

Raised in a tough New York City neighborhood, he chose law enforcement over the streets. In 1993, Alfred chose a career with the New York City Police Department, where he spent 23 years of service, retiring in 2016. He rose through the ranks to achieve the rank of Detective First Grade, where he served as a Homicide Detective and Crisis/Hostage Negotiator, fulfilling his life’s dream of solving some of the city’s toughest cases. In that role he managed, planned, and supervised complex high-profile investigations, establishing collaborative relationships with federal and state agencies. He also served as an instructor and lecturer for the New York City Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy. While with the NYPD, Dr. Titus earned a Master’s degree from Marist College through NYPD scholarship, and a Ph.D. from Walden University, both in Public Policy and Administration, specializing in Criminal Justice. He is recognized as an expert in Homicide Investigations, Hostage Negotiations, Police-Community Relations/Community Policing, and is certified by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services as a Policing Topics Instructor.

After retirement, Dr. Titus joined the faculty of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. As a professor, he combined his law enforcement experience, education, and street smarts, to mentor and teach future law enforcement professionals. He teaches a wide range of courses from Introduction to Criminal Investigations, Criminal Justice Policy and Theory, Research Methods & Statistics, Intro to the American Criminal Justice System, and several other courses. Dr. Titus’ achievements have resulted in John Jay College nominating him for the Distinguished Teacher Award and designating him as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the areas of Criminal Justice, Community Policing, Training, and Law Enforcement topics. As a result of his expert classification, Dr. Titus has provided expert commentary on criminal justice and law enforcement issues for news media outlets including CNN, Fox News, CBS News, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and other outlets.

Dr. Titus has subsequently written and published several books, Forward Motion... the Keys to Progress and Success, a motivating and empowering book that teaches young readers to

avoid and maneuver through life’s pitfalls and obstacles on the road to success. The second book, The Personal Side of Policing, highlights a career in policing, detailing the pros and cons of the career choice. The Police Are Part of Our Community, also available in Spanish, is a vibrant children’s book that highlights the good work police do in our communities and shows a diverse community of children interacting positively with a diverse police department. The book encourages parents to speak to their children about the police while reducing children’s fear of the police. Dr. Titus’ fourth book, Forward Motion...the 7 Principles of Success, empowers and informs the youth to change their mindset towards success and to develop a game plan to succeed in life. The fifth book, Preparing for Positive Interactions with Law Enforcement, promotes safe interaction with law enforcement by explaining the do’s and don’ts while also providing explanations on why police interact with the public the way they do.

Dr. Titus also started two businesses after retiring from NYPD, the first is a multifaceted consulting firm, A. Titus Consulting, LLC., focused on consulting on criminal cases with law firms, providing licensed private investigator services to private clients, and facilitating the rebuilding of the community-police relationship. One of his workshops, Preparing for Positive Interactions with Law Enforcement, provides adults and youth insight and understanding to better navigate interactions with the police. The second business is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Forward Motion Life Success, Inc., where the focus is to empower and motivate youth and adults through powerful speaking engagements and workshops aimed at removing limits and providing the tools to achieve success. Dr. Titus also conducts a bi-annual College & Trade Scholarship in memory of his late mother, through the non-profit organization.

Dr. Alfred S. Titus, Jr. has done several documentaries featuring law enforcement cases, including the latest, a Netflix docuseries, produced by Dick Wolf: Homicide New York (Season 1, Episode 3: Vanished on Wall Street), where he highlights the details of one of his cases while working in the NYPD Homicide Squad.