As the President-Elect wrapped up his speech, now joined onstage by his extended family, my attention was on the members of the United States Secret Service who were close by. I thought of these men and the job that they were tasked to do. Not knowing them personally, I wasn’t aware of their political affiliations, were they a Democratic like Biden, or a Republican, rooting for the current President, Trump? They, like every other citizen of the country, were allowed to cast their votes, and could have picked either, or none. However, at that moment, on that stage, I don’t think it mattered. These agents, surely knowing the risk associated with the occasion, were focused on the task at hand: The safety of their protective charges, no matter their personal political affiliation.
Phishing Phenomena on the Rise
As with many methods used to manipulate, they do not try to argue someone around to a position in a rational manner; instead, they are designed to elicit and exploit emotional responses.
Phishing is a whole family of different attacks designed to manipulate a target into performing actions against their best interest, usually disclosing information in some way or carrying out fraudulent transactions. Within that family of different types of phishing we have:
Crisis Management and Social Media
Effective crisis management invariably involves social media, whether the organization is a large multi-national or a small hometown business. When a crisis erupts, the effective use of social media should be seen as a key priority to counteract the crisis.
Clients Should You Trust them?
There needs to be a healthy relationship with your clients, you don’t want to let them dominate you, and you don’t want to try to dominate and control them.
Boundaries must always be made clear as this works to protect you and your client’s interests. Clients are not your friends, they are clients paying you to provide them with a service, and if boundaries are ignored, it can undermine any respect in the business relationship.
Emotional intelligence
In today’s lifestyle and business dynamics, solving emotion-related problems is equally crucial in both personal and professional settings. In a professional context, we deal with complex problems and must work as a team to provide the most efficient solutions for our principals or clients.
Value Driven Integration – Women in Protection
If you are a woman in the industry and you aren’t struggling, you have a duty to mentor others. However, I do understand that sometimes it’s difficult simply because you’re not quite sure how you got there yourself! The increased participation of women in protection started a while back but has gained more momentum recently; keep it going! We’re all on the same team.
Ammunition – Why the JHP? Part 2
Bullets are bullets and ammunition is just ammunition, right? The reality is, that statement couldn’t be further from the truth. As outlined in my last article, bullets (or projectiles) come in many different forms and these forms have their intended purpose. In this installment, I want to dive deeper into the application of the Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP). The reason this projectile is going to get its own article is due to the importance of it and how it applies to self-defense and in the industry of close protection.
Securing Smart Home Devices
Smart home technology is a rapidly growing consumer and business product. Here are some figures that show projections for the growth of these devices, as well as current numbers
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.
Tactical Firearms – Methods of Carry!
If you are carrying a handgun for defensive purposes, you need to be able to get to it when you need it.
On the market today, there is a wide variety of holsters to choose from that vary in price from a few bucks to a few hundred; some are worth it, many are not. What most people forget when considering carry techniques for a handgun or any weapons for that matter is that they are going to have to be able to access the weapon in all environments with both strong and weak hands.
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?
Kidnap & Ransom – Finding a Resolution
If you’re travelling to today’s hostile environments as an International actor, anywhere from Mexico to Afghanistan, and all the bad places in between, it would be madness to go without K&R insurance coverage, especially as it helps to reduce your overall insurance costs of travelling to these places.
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.
Ammunition – Does it Matter?
In the context of close protection work, the use of firearms is often an all or nothing proposition. In most cases, you are either armed, or you’re not! There is a whole host of things that play into that, be it where you are, your level of certification, or the demands the client puts on you. All of that aside, I wanted to take some time and dig into the finer things, often overlooked when we talk about “strapping up.” Ammunition!
Tactical Firearms – The Shotgun Part 2
With a 12ga shotgun, you can literally shoot clay pigeons, real pigeons, deer, bears, or pedophiles, and terrorists. You just need to choose the right type of shells.
The ammunition used in shotguns is referred to as shells, not bullets. Shotgun shells come in various sizes, but the most common for 12ga guns are 2 ¾ inches, 3 inches, and 3 ½ inches.
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
You and I know each other on a personal level but for those that don’t, can you give us an insight about your background and how you broke into the private sector?
All my life I wanted to go into Law Enforcement, I wanted to be the closest thing to a superhero. possible. Sounds funny , but it’s true. I started working loss Prevention at 19 and after graduating the reserve police academy I started working the night clubs eventually leading my own team at 21. Soon after I was introduced to Executive protection and I thought it was something I could be successful in and decided to jump in industry with both feet.
Team Leading and Delegation for Increased Productivity and Effectiveness
The biggest issue most new Team Leaders face is knowing when to delegate. Consequently, they try to take on too much which minimizes their effectiveness in the role. Therefore, it is essential you learn when, how and who to delegate.
Leading for the Future – Excellence through Inspiration
Value-driven leadership doesn’t mean you tolerate underperformance, it just means excellence can be achieved with balance and inspiration and doesn’t require intimidation to garner results. As a leader, unless you have clarity in vision, you can never inspire others to follow. People don’t mind being led, as long as they know you understand where you are going.
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.
