Dr. John P. Sullivan has been named a Senior Fellow at The Urban Warfare Institute, bringing decades of expertise in policing, counterterrorism, intelligence, and urban conflict to the research institution. Sullivan, a columnist at Homeland Security Today (HSToday), has an extensive background in public safety, intelligence analysis, and transnational crime.
A career law enforcement professional, Sullivan retired as a lieutenant with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD), where he specialized in emergency operations, transit policing, counterterrorism, and intelligence. He has played a leading role in understanding and responding to evolving security threats, with a particular focus on urban violence, terrorism, transnational gangs, and organized crime.
Beyond his law enforcement career, Sullivan serves as an Instructor at the Safe Communities Institute (SCI) at the Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California. He is also a Senior El Centro Fellow at Small Wars Journal, Research Fellow at the Future Security Initiative (FSI) at Arizona State University & New America, and a member of the Urban Violence Research Network (UVRN) and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), Network of Experts.
His contributions to intelligence and security studies were recognized in November 2018, when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Fusion Center Association for his work in strengthening the national network of intelligence fusion centers.
Sullivan holds a PhD from the Open University of Catalonia, an MA in Urban Affairs and Policy Analysis from the New School for Social Research, and a BA in Government from the College of William & Mary. He has also completed the CREATE Executive Program in Counter-Terrorism at the University of Southern California.