When a gentleman offers his hand—gloved or ungloved—a lady does not recoil and yell, “What are you, crazy?” This is a handshake, and a lady knows it poses her no threat. If she must sanitize immediately afterward, she will do so discreetly.
Keeping Your Edge: Raising Your Profile
This is not so much by the overt actions we take in close proximity to the Protectee, but by the intentional maneuvering of chess pieces behind the scenes, in the form of risk analysis, advance-work and logistics. With the exception of very high profile, or high threat assignments, our default state could be described in many cases as, invisible. This mindset has successfully shepherded many throughout the profession, being passed on from generation to generation to the benifit of the craft.
The Threat Posed by Fixated Individuals
The woman, who claimed she was engaged to Prince Andrew managed to persuade the security officers at the Royal Lodge to pay for her taxi fare. She then spent 20 minutes wandering around the Royal gardens before entering the home of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, where she was finally detained, and subsequently sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
Dry Fire Training
In most other places outside the U.S. where firearm ownership and defensive carry is available for private citizens and security personnel, the price of guns and ammunition can be very costly, and the application processes to own and carry guns can be a bureaucratic nightmare.
In many places, it’s mandatory to belong to a gun club or shooting association who are the ones that have control of the shooting ranges. Personally, I have little time for clubs and associations as they tend to be very cliquey and attract people trying to compensate for a lack in other areas.
Challenges of Protecting Children
As a bodyguard, I have been fortunate to have protected a variety of female principals amongst a cross-section of nationalities and cultures around the globe. My principals’ ages have also ranged from 4 to 65 years old. Amongst them all, I personally believe the most challenging principals are children. For me, the role of a bodyguard caring for a minor is all about balance, judgment, adaptation and a crystal-clear understanding of the parents’ wishes.
Why Consider A Career in Executive Protection?
It requires a lot of training and specialized skills. It can be a thankless job when things go well and a firestorm when there is a breach in the protection. And if nothing dangerous is afoot, it can get somewhat boring. It’s physically taxing and mentally grueling. So why do it? Once you get past your misconceptions about the industry and learn what you are really getting into, you’ll find that it is a great career full of incentives.
The Shotgun
I would say the firearm I have encountered the most in the security business internationally is the shotgun. I would say the firearm I have encountered the most in the security business internationally is the shotgun. I have heard many supposed experts within the close protection industry dismiss shotguns as be “cowboy” and “overkill” and […]
No Cutting: Get To The Back Of The Line
Having traveled to over 30 countries, building executive protection and estate teams, embarking on 10 major worldwide tours and transitioning from field agent to Director of Security. Despite my successes, I’ve still felt like a student at best, but now finally considering myself a Specialist. Naively, many young protectors are eager to consider themselves “specialists” without undergoing the proper mentorship and gaining the practical experience needed to hold this title.
Keeping Your Edge: What’s the End Game?
I’m sipping a Pina Colada (virgin) and staring at the ocean with the waves cresting about 10 feet from my cabana. I don’t write that to brag, but instead give a peek into an environment that’s a little different for me as I jump into the backstory.
Trump Settles With Protesters Who Said His Bodyguards Attacked Them
Trump Settles With Protesters Who Said His Bodyguards Attacked Them
Donald J. Trump on Wednesday reached a settlement in a civil case brought by protesters who said they were attacked by his bodyguards in 2015
So, you want to be a Hostile Environment Security Adviser?
“War correspondents” I mistakenly thought, were hand-picked for their skills set, fitness, mental toughness, awareness, and clean living. But no, what I found instead were individuals with many issues ranging from drug and alcohol problems to PTSD episodes to fundamental fitness concerns… the list goes on.
Keeping Your Edge: The Right Tool For the Job
Spend any length of time conducing protection work in the entertainment industry, and you’ll find that things work in cycles.
There are recording cycles, tour cycles, award show cycles and even sporting event cycles. A big portion of these trend annually, and are grouped with similar events, creating momentum, but being careful to avoid overshadowing or encroaching on another event’s moment.
Residential Security
Just because someone has a security or private investigators license it does not mean they are competent or not working with the criminals. What a lot of people forget when hiring security personnel is that you get what you pay for.
Cutting Out the Middle Man
Tight defence budgets keep slashing headcounts for active duty personnel, leaving the military no alternative other than to outsource tasks when troops are stretched.
McDonaldization of Close Personal Protection
The process of McDonaldization takes a task and breaks it down into smaller tasks. This is repeated until all tasks have been broken down to the smallest possible level. The resulting tasks are then rationalized to find the single most efficient method for completing each task. All other methods are then deemed inefficient and discarded.
YouTube Should be Part of Your Social Media Strategy
YouTube is the number two search engine right behind Google (go figure). Everyday 3 BILLION VIDEOS are viewed on YouTube everyday. Why? For me personally and I’m sure thousands of others would rather find a video on how-to fix a widget then read pages of text on a web page.
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.
Situational Awareness Skill or Instinct?
Situational Awareness is “the perception of the elements in the environment within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning and the projection of their status in the near future”.
The Future of Push to Talk Communications
If you are a professional user of traditional ‘push to talk’ two-way radio communications, this will fundamentally change the way you view the use of your radios.
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.
