When discussing executive protection topics with somebody not working in this field of expertise, the threats to the principal are often expected to come from rare incidents such as stalkers, snipers, explosions and so on. As professionals we know that the most significant and likely threats come from car accidents and health issues, then, next in line are serious fire emergencies. Don’t just take my word for it, a quick look at the statistics show just how frequent and deadly fires are in US.
Vehicles Used As Weapons
Religious extremist whether Al Qaeda or ISIS have long called for the use of Vehicles as Weapons even going back to 2010, when we saw an article in Inspire Magazine titled, “The Ultimate Mowing Machine.”
Black Man Green Beret
Black Man Green Beret is an American story, a semi-autobiography of a man born in the ghettos of the South Bronx and raised on the mean streets of Harlem, in New York City.
Lessons Learned on Executive Protection Communication.
One important thing to realize is that the principal is the key figure in shaping the culture. Not all principals are the same. I have experience of principals that don’t want to see or hear the protectors.
Foot Steps: Mike Brown
Mike Brown is one of those individuals who has found success as an operator by envisioning where he wanted to end up and trusting the process to take him there. In his time in the industry, he has earned his stripes and now reaps the rewards running a successful business and managing the protective detail for a very well-known public figure. I speak to Mike to learn some of his keys to success.
Keeping Your Edge: Support Those You Meet Along The Way
Over the decades I have seen many artists, label executives, managers and agents rise from relative obscurity, to monumental heights. For example, it was an amazing thing to have your Protectee ask you to pick up a 9 year old who’d won some local acclaim because of his singing ability, and take him to a meeting, then subsequently watch his meteoritic rise to arguably the top 1% in pop music, past & present.
A New Standard for Travel Security
As Executive Protection professionals we are constantly caught between a rock and a hard place. We do our best to provide our clients with the best possible protection while dealing with resistance and objections from the boardroom, PAs or the client themselves. Now if there was an international guideline for a travel risk management standard that addressed everything from hotels to air travel and ground transportation, it would require compliance from organizations and simplify our task significantly. The good news is, there now is and it is planned for launch in the summer of 2021.
Executive Protection 2.1
William Shakespeare said, “Defer no time, Delays have dangerous ends”. What we do now in these trying times, we will either profit from or suffer from. Why is it that some survive these times in our industry, and some do not? What steps can be taken to avoid a crisis in your employment status?
Online Health Check for Protectors
As security professionals you may be an attack vector to your client if you do not maintain basic online security controls. At the very least you should be in a position to provide basic advice to your clients in order to help them stay secure.
Behaviors & Anomalies
In the previous article (Baselines of Behavior, Issue 53), we spoke about the four major behaviors: dominant, submissive, comfortable, and uncomfortable. These are the most prevalent and easiest to categorize and I gave you the means to identify each one. However, identifying the behaviors is not our main goal. Creating a baseline of the behaviors and then looking for clusters of anomalies is the goal. These anomalies highlight changes within the individual’s emotional state around a specific topic and can be crucial for us, as security professionals, to identify a threat early enough to counter it.
Social Media Policies
Anyone who works for you and has their work title/position linked to your company represents your brand and is responsible for your reputation. They can also be a liability for you and may become the weak link of your company and their online activities are such that your competitors can use it against you.
Foot Steps Episode 5: Mike Smith
Describe your professional journey?
I played on the Georgia State Patrols basketball league then joined the reserve sheriffs, I then did freelance security with 2 Georgia state troopers that started a company. I took a hiatus and actually became a barber while still doing security work on the side. While cutting hair I ran into someone who gave me a window of opportunity which led me to land a 6 figure contract. My company SS consulting specialized in threat assessments and advances but I didn’t just limit myself to that. I would land other contracts doing different types of security. The reality is, it’s who you know vs what you know.
Other Side of The Desk
The nuances of each detail vary, and the protection packages are tailored to fit them. For instance, each and every day, educational institutions are presented with their own unique set of security challenges.
Unfortunately, the US, as well as other countries, has experienced too many tragic incidents on school campuses. While these incidents are usually carried out against individuals without personal protection, what happens when there is a Protective Detail in the area? If we looked at the differences between school security personnel (also known as “resource officers”) and executive protection, would there be a clear distinction from the perspective of teachers and faculty of the educational institutions? How is close protection viewed when it comes to halls of education? How does the staff feel about an armed EP professional on the school ground or even in class?
Foot Steps Episode 5: Sam Alicea
What were some takeaways you obtained from your past line of work? And how have they helped you in the private sector realm?
When I look at the totality of what we do in this industry there are quite a few takeaways. From having dealt with the irate couples during a domestic dispute to negotiating a business deal the importance of not only verbal judo but communicative and interpersonal skills tops the list, followed by the skills I learned from collecting evidence at a crime scene where attention to detail was key.
Nonverbal Communication
There’s something to be said about the art of reading people, especially in the protection industry. The ability to pick up on nonverbal communication is an area where most, if not all, protection practitioners are skilled.
Foot Steps: Episode 3 – Devon Taitt
I believe everyone should spend at least a year working the clubs on the weekends. You will develop your self-awareness, situational awareness, verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and overall confidence. It’s controlled chaos. The perfect training ground.
Bodyguards in Mexico
The realities of working as a bodyguard in Mexico are quite different, it’s definitely a lot more dangerous and a lot less glamorous than Hollywood would have you believe.
Mexico is a very high-risk environment that most people know very little about other than what they see in the movies or what is scantily reported in the media. There is very little factual media coverage of what’s going on in Mexico as journalists that report unfavorably about the Narcos, and others tend not to live very long.
Operating in Mexico – The Uncomfortable Truth
There are many misconceptions about close protection and private security operations in Mexico. As usual, most of the myths originate from Hollywood movies and fictional T.V. dramas. The realities of working as a bodyguard in Mexico are quite different, it’s definitely a lot more dangerous and a lot less glamorous than Hollywood would have you believe.
Anything that Can Happen Will Happen… Even the Inconceivable
It seemed the whole city had turned out to catch a glimpse of Mr. Nixon. The plan was to drive to the ramp of Air Force One, put the president into the car and drive from the airport to the city. The motorcade was all aligned according to standard protocol; police lead motorcycles and escort, a lead car with police and the advance agent, the new presidential limousine, Secret Service follow-up with agents and a doctor; White House staff in appropriate cars, the traveling press, a tail car and tail police car. Everything was in preplanned order, What could go wrong?
Protecting Private Families – A Unique Dynamic
What happens when there is more than one primary client? What happens when the “primary” becomes two, three, four, or more? What happens when your client instructs you that their two-year-old, is the primary “client” on a particular day or outing?