Sometimes you have a plan, and then the universe has something different in mind. After almost seventeen years in the private security industry, a little over 3 years ago I decided to start my own security company UPPER ECHELON SERVICES. I was making great progress building the company. Then in June of 2017, I was involved in a motorcycle accident that would change my life forever. I ended up suffering from an irreparable compound break on my right foot and ultimately blowing my heel to dust.
Venezuelan Gold-Trafficking
The gold business in general is a haven for scammers, money launderers, traffickers, criminals and terrorists. It is an area rife for the services of a protection specialist since the coupling of unsuspecting investors, with sometimes, greedy buyers can lead to a lot of trouble and loss of money, property, and even lives.
Fit for Duty: Health & Wellness as Crucial Daily Hygiene…
The only thing consistent about protective services and extensive travel is that it is consistently inconsistent. The hours are often long, we are up before everyone else and go to bed after everyone else. If your client is a business executive with global responsibility it is always 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM somewhere in the world. So, often your sleeping and eating patterns can become significantly altered. By the time we start or end our day, many times the quality eating establishments may not be open or are already closed.
A Deeper Understanding
a PoC service is like any other client server system that you use. Take Skype as an example that many people will be familiar with. This is what is commonly referred to as a ‘client-server’ application. The Skype app sits on you phone, tablet, laptop or desktop and is in constant communication with the Skype servers out there in the cloud.
Why You Aren’t Working
Staffing a team is often as much about fit as it is function. It may not be a function of, does an agent have the skills to do a particular assignment, but can their ego stand down as they fill another role on the team, which may not be detail or shift leader?
Establishing Your Career Path in Close Protection
To clarify, the commercial close protection industry is challenging for most people to enter, mainly because it is a very small and ‘cliquey’ world where doors usually open for people if they know the right people. So, to start with, networking is a valuable key to opening the doors.
Success In EP, What does it mean to you?
How do you define success in the executive/celebrity protection industry? How do you know when you are a success or successful? Is your success helping move you forward or is it hurting you? Success has a different meaning to every individual.
BASIC RANGE CONSIDERATIONS
My professional experience with firearms started when I was 17 years old, and I joined an Infantry Regiment in the British Army. After leaving the British Army five years later, I worked in an armed capacity in numerous countries while providing security services.
Precious Principals – The Challenges of Protecting Children
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.
Drivers & Bodyguards
Now, here me out. If you’re managing security projects it’s only a matter of time before you’ll have to deal and work with security personnel, bodyguards, and drivers that are not part of your team or company. Dealing with unknown personnel can be very problematic due to their potential lack of professionalism and egos.
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.
Technology as a Standalone Security Solution – Are We Fooling Ourselves?
Is technology effective as a security solution or is it simply being misused? In this article, Ivor Terret shares his philosophy of the four pillars of effective and practical security and how they can only work together in conjunction – not as silos.
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.
Tactical Firearms – The Shotgun: Ammunition
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.
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.
Death Of The Solo Specialist
It’s not unusual for practitioners of our craft to find themselves operating as a “solo specialists” alongside their respective clients. The question is, are these days slowly coming to an end? If they are, how will we be able to convey this to our clients?
Foot Steps Episode 1 – Kevin Ghee
My transition was a tricky one. Coming from a field where we are trained to address crime once it happens, mentally it leaves you in response mode. EP is very proactive, as such, we must anticipate what could happen and work to mitigate that. Also, as an Law Enforcement Officer, you have control over almost every situation that you’re in. The law gives you that authority and that luxury. In Executive Protection, not so much. So there’s another shift in mindset that one must have. As an EP professional you don’t have the same authority that LEO’s have, so you can’t bark out commands, stop traffic, block public access, etc., as such, the transition was tricky. The best way I can describe it is, not difficult but also, not “easy,” so to speak.
Foot Steps Episode 1 Kevin Ghee
What are some traits and soft skills that you have acquired from working in inner city Philadelphia that has helped you In your line of work today?
I think the number one skill I’ve learned was the ability to talk to people to get the desired outcome. In the streets, you have to have the skillset to deescalate a deadly confrontation or you have to be able to get information from an individual who never intends to speak to you. That skill does not come overnight, and there’s a lot of trial and error, but the truth of the matter is, it’s all predicated on respect for the other individual. Also, being intentional and understanding what’s at stake are major factors for success.
Image Projection – It’s a Psychological Advantage
The term ‘Image Projection’ refers to the tactic of presenting yourself as an Alpha personality in order to discourage a confrontation.
In short, dressing like an Alpha personality prompts respect from people (men and women) and makes you look like a hard target (psychologically).
