Brian McCarthy
Adjunct Professor
College of Professional and Continuing Studies
A Brooklyn native, Brian McCarthy joined the New York City Police Department in January of 1983. Brian was promoted to Detective in 1987 for his investigative efforts in organized crime. He was promoted to Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain through civil service examination success.
As a Captain through Assistant Chief, he commanded nine assignments, including the Joint Terrorist Task Force during the World Trade Center Attacks in 2001, where he was promoted to Deputy Inspector. From 2002 until 2005, he served as the Commanding Officer of the Seventh Precinct, which encompasses the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He then became the Commanding Officer of the 114th Precinct in Astoria, Queens and was promoted to Inspector. In 2010, he was promoted to Deputy Chief and served as second-in-command of the 22,500 members in uniform. Brian was promoted to Assistant Chief in 2013 and assigned as the Commander of the 1,500 detectives comprising the Narcotics Division. In his final assignment, he managed the Criminal Enterprise Division, which consists of 13 federal task forces, before retiring in 2018.
Dr. McCarthy attained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1989 from John Jay College, a graduate degree in 2009 from Aspen University and a doctoral degree from Keiser University in 2024. His doctoral project was titled, “An Analysis of the Correlation Between Crime Rates and New York City Self-Injection Facilities.” He also completed certificate programs at Harvard University in 2016 and the Naval Post-Graduate School in Monterey, California from 2013 to 2014.
In his post-retirement endeavors, Dr. McCarthy has taught at three universities, held two Security Director positions and consulted extensively. He has instructed five graduate courses and four undergraduate classes. Dr. McCarthy has been married to his wife Maureen-Marie for 38 years. They have three children, all of whom proudly serve in the New York City Police Department.