Ralph Cilento
Ralph Cilento is a newly retired Lieutenant Commander in the NYPD Detective Bureau with twenty-eight years of experience in the New York City Police Department. He has patrolled some of the toughest streets in Manhattan and the South Bronx. Lt. Cilento has been assigned to supervise investigations for more than 15 years, commanding detectives in the 44th, 45th, and 48th Precinct Detective Squads, Bronx Homicide Squad and Major Case Squad.
He has testified as an expert witness for the NYPD, and provided sworn testimony before the New York State Criminal Justice Task Force regarding witness intimidation and open discovery statutes. While serving as Commanding Officer of the NYPD’s Detective Bureau Training Unit, he was responsible for developing, implementing and assessing curriculum for more than 5000 members of the NYPD’s Detective Bureau, including the college accredited and nationally recognized courses: Homicide Investigators Course, Special Victims Investigators Course, and Criminal Investigators Basic Course. He designed and authored the current NYPD Detective Bureau Custodial Interrogators Course.
Ralph has been a core faculty member of The Key since 2013, and is a respected law enforcement educator. As such, has traveled throughout the country to deliver lectures on various law enforcement topics including homicide investigation, and custodial interrogation. He is repertoire instructor and member of the FBI’s INLETS Violent Crimes Training Services. He has guest lectured at several non-law enforcement public safety/conflict resolution educational events for clients including, Metro North Railroad, The Rubin Museum of Art, Pace University Law School, Autism Speaks, and the NYS Baseball Umpires Association. He has also appeared as a subject matter expert on FOX5 News NY, and the nationally syndicated, The Dr. Oz Show.
Lt. Cilento holds a B.A. degree in History and Psychology from Pace University and is an Adjunct Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and a graduate of the 271st Session of the FBI National Academy, where he also served as the class President.