After college graduation, Alan spent over twenty years as a law enforcement officer. During his career, he served as a Special Deputy US Marshal taking him to several European countries and the Middle East. Alan spent two years living in Germany while working with the US Army and Air Force.

Finishing law school, he served as prosecutor then a criminal defense attorney for twelve years before joining the Texas prison and parole agency as an assistant general counsel. Upon retirement, Alan ventured into writing crime fiction, having ten crime novels published.