A life-long resident of New York City, Alfred Medina was born in 1960, and raised in the Bronx. He was educated in the New York City public school system (Morris High School 1978). He then earned his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University (1982), and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Marist College (2002).

Alfred Medina’s career in public service began in 1983 when he joined the New York City Police 

Department (NYPD). Upon graduating from the Police Academy Police Officer Medina was assigned to patrol the South Bronx. In 1986, he was assigned to the Firearms and Tactics Section where he became a senior firearms instructor and NYS police shooting champion. Also, as a member of the NYPD Pistol Team, he won several national and regional police shooting titles. In 1991, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. In 1993, he developed several defensive tactics programs and was re-assigned to the Training Unit. In 1996, Sergeant Medina was assigned to the Chief of Department’s Office. He became the senior training assessor for the Department and developed several new training programs (i.e., Expandable Baton, Verbal Judo, Simunitions, Plainclothes Officers, Street Crime, and Defensive Tactics). 

Sergeant Medina has trained thousands of law enforcement officers, both domestically and internationally (i.e., Canada, Great Britain, Egypt and Bermuda). He conducts train-the-trainer courses (use-of-force expert, firearms, less-lethal weapons, and defensive tactics) throughout the United States and Internationally. He has served as an expert witness for several high-profile cases involving police officers. He served as an advisor for the NYS Division of Criminal Justice (DCJS). Sergeant Medina is a certified Staff Instructor for the PPCT Systems, one of the largest private law enforcement training organizations in the world. In 2004, Sergeant Medina retired after 22 years of service and became a full-time college professor teaching undergraduate courses at Monroe College until 2016.

Grandmaster Medina is a 6th Dan Senior-Master in Tae Kwon Do and an 9th Dan Grandmaster in Combat Hapkido (ICHF and KIDO). In 2018, he received the ICHF Hall of Fame “Grandmaster of the Year – USA” award. He teaches Combat Hapkido in New York and has produced many high-ranking Black Belt instructors.