John P. Sullivan was a career police officer. He retired as a lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Global Observatory of Transnational Criminal Networks; an adjunct researcher at the Vortex Foundation in Bogotá, Colombia; and a senior fellow at Small Wars Journal-El Centro.

Career Progression:

John’s urban childhood in Brooklyn, New York gave him an early interest in public safety and civic responsibilities.  He started his education at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, transferring to William and Mary to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Government.  He continued his education at the New School, obtaining his Masters in Urban Affairs and Policy Analysis.

While in College and graduate school, John volunteered as a Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician and during graduate school picked up an interesting internship at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.  Upon graduation, he was hired full time.  John is proud of his work at the Port Authority.   In 1986 he led the effort to establish the first homeless shelter in New Jersey, opening on a particularly cold Christmas Eve.  John also recalls a threat assessment he conducted in 1986, where he identified the World Trade Center as a top priority – a prediction that was eerily prescient considering the bombing attacks that occurred there in 1993 and 2001.

John enjoyed his work with Law Enforcement, so he made a big career (and geographic) change.  He took a position with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD), starting in the County jail, ultimately working patrol, emergency operations and counterterrorism assignments.  LA County was just starting to look at forming a transit police unit to secure the bus and metro lines.  They were preparing for the opening of the new Blue Line (light rail).  John thought his background at the Port Authority might be of use.  He volunteered to assist at one of their exercises and was immediately snagged to become one of the first members of the team.  Today, there are over 500 people assigned to the Transit Services Bureau.

The world focused on terrorism with greater intensity in 1995 – the year of the Oklahoma City Bombing and the Tokyo subway sarin attack.  John understood the importance of connecting agencies together to work harmoniously and wanted to find ways to get ahead of the threat.   John set up the nation’s first fusion center, the Terrorism Early Warning Group in 1996, pulling in the Los Angeles Police Department, LA County and City Fire Departments, County Public Health and members from the FBI.  Together they wrestled with tough problems like anthrax.

John drafted legislation and policy on chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorism and experimented with novel technologies to detect threats, often working with big brains at prestigious organizations like Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the RAND Corporation.  He established a task force that looked at right wing extremism and developed hazardous material response teams.  Los Angeles was a particularly good place to test out new ideas; he often brought experimental capabilities (like weapons of mass destruction detectors using overhead sensing drones) together during big events, such as the annual Pasadena Rose Parade or the 2000 Democratic National Convention.

The next logical step to improve terrorism response was to create a network of Terrorism Early Warning groups that could pull important information together, make meaningful assessments, display the results visually, and provide decision support.   The Terrorism Research Center (TRC) worked with John to do a pilot with the LASD and the Department of Justice on fusion centers that eventually morphed into the national network of fusion centers sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security.

John is fascinated by the science and potential of multi-intelligence fusion and how it can help anticipate terrorism and mass atrocities.   He made a focused deep dive on cartels and gangs and their impact on the sovereignty of nations, obtaining his PhD from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya in 2013.  He’s interested in the ways power and control transfer from State to criminal groups.  He currently educates the next generation on international human rights and how to manage conflict as an Instructor at University of Southern California’s Safe Communities Institute.

Surprises: 

John expected to see many more terrorism events on the domestic homeland after September 11^th.

Risks in the Near Future:

John is concerned about the risks from Global Warming, and their impact on migration and the resultant pressures that might fragment existing sovereign states.

Technologies of Interest: 

The exciting developments of artificial intelligence will have a big impact on robotics.  He’s looking forward to seeing some game changing advances.

Advice for Decision Makers:

John wants leaders to carefully consider how they should synchronize their efforts with other responders when they are faced with a new operational maneuver.  This can be hard for elected officials who expect the world to align to their expectations.  John recommends: “Slow down, listen and use the intelligence available to you.”

Views on Thought Leaders:

John had excellent mentors:

• Henry I. DeGeneste – his boss at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
• Manuel Castells – his PhD advisor, who made him a better analysist.
• Commander Linda Healy – one of his bosses at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
• Commander Sid Heal – one of his bosses at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

Quick Hits:

Book Recommendations.  The Human Condition, by Hannah Arendt

Favorite piece of OODA Content:   “Mexican Cartel Adaptation and Innovation”

Contact:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-sullivan-1523641