BGC: How did you start working in the Executive Protection field?

BA: My background is in the military. I was stationed in Germany. There was a lot of terrorist activity being carried out by the Red Army Faction against U.S. military and executives overseas. I was selected to begin specialized training to protect these high-risk individuals, and worked my way up to Protective Security Detail Leader. I was the supervising Close Protection for two General officers at both their residences and offices at military Head Quarters.

BGC: How has Executive Protection evolved over the past 25 years?

BA: In my opinion, the biggest changes are due to two specific events:

The 9-11 attacks and the entry of the U.S. into the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let me explain. Before 9/11, there was always an understanding that top U.S. executives in the private sector and government officials were at some risk. Kidnapping was the primary threat, and it was most risky for these individuals outside of the U.S. – particularly in Latin American countries. After 9/11, with the attacks on U.S. soil, we all realized, tragically, that Americans are vulnerable at home as well as outside the country’s borders. The need for protection against terrorists educated the general public as to the notion of executive protection.

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan created a transition from more “traditional” executive protection, to more “tactical” executive protection. So in the past 8 years or so, there has been an expectation that an EPS will have a strong military background and experience with weapons. However, that is changing. Blackwater, the largest provider of personal security details to U.S. diplomats in the Middle-East and high-conflict areas, is transitioning out of that business, as the need seems to have diminished significantly.

While tactical skills are important, the trend is now swinging back, and more traditional skills are needed-particularly to meet the needs of corporate executives, celebrities and professional athletes. By the way, I’d really like to give kudos to Harlan and Bodyguard Careers for educating the general public, and bringing attention to the subject of the dire need to protect these pro athletes, who I think have always been extremely vulnerable.

Once the U.S. pulls out of Iraq the “tactical” EP opportunities will be diminished and I think we can expect a proliferation of individuals trying to transition into more of the mainstream protective services. The pool of talent will be much larger, and I think there will be a greater acceptance and understanding of those “tactically-skilled” EPS. That being said, it is really important for those with military training and experience to understand that OTHER skills that are needed to land the contracts should not be overlooked. Clients and employers are going to be able to be extremely selective, and will be looking for the top resumes. I think we’re going to see a drop in earnings, too. It won’t be like it was in the period after 9/11 when the pay was incredibly high for this type of work.

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Next week visitors to BODYGUARDCAREERS will be treated to an interview with Bruce Alexander. One of the crucial statements he makes is about the importance of “marketing” yourself.

What exactly does marketing mean, you may be asking.

Marketing means how you package and present yourself. Have you ever noticed how when you go to the store you find yourself drawn more to a certain item simply because of the way it LOOKS-well, that principle needs to be applied to your employment tools: The Resume and The Cover Letter.

Most people think their tools are great. They’ve used a template from a book for their cover letter, copied someone else’s resume format, and think they’re good to go. Not true. Template cover letters are painfully apparent and mark you as a rookie. The resume format you’ve copied may be dated, or badly done to begin with!

The resume is more than just a list of your past jobs and duties while on the job. You can use your resume as part of your strategy to obtain the interview. The resume must be formatted correctly, free from grammatical or spelling errors. Margins, fonts, bullets, type size, as well as the layout of the resume are all very important things to consider.

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SECRETS OF SURVEILLANCE

A Professional’s Guide to Tailing Subjects by Vehicle, Foot,

Airplane, and Public Transportation

by ACM IV Security Services

This is the best book I have ever read on Surveillance and Counter-Surveillance.

It covers topics like: “What are the best practices when acting as a Surveillance Agent.”

A good surveillance person someone who, if observed at a party or in a bar, would just slip into the crowd; he might not be noticed all night. The book gives tips on how to succeed performing this type of detail.

“Secrets of Surveillance” deals with conducting surveillance and counter-surveillance using your feet, ingenuity, your surroundings, and more. It explores surveillance team dynamics, and how best to orchestrate foot and vehicle surveillance.

Today, you can attend courses, purchase videos, even train online to learn the basic principles of surveillance and counter-surveillance.  Even with all the fancy new gadgetry and instruction available–surveillance, like undercover work–is an art. Most agents can learn to do these tasks; however, many experts in these fields believe the best surveillance, counter-surveillance, and undercover people seem to just have a natural knack for it. Almost as though they were “born to do it.” I tend to agree with the experts.

But don’t let that discourage you from learning all you can! It just means you may have to work a little harder at it. This book is a great resource. I highly recommend it.

REVIEW BY JAMES DEVINO

You finally get the nod from your supervisor; after months of doing “halls and walls, (standing posts), you are going to perform your first Protective Security Advance. In other words, you have been designated to proceed ahead of the principal’s security detail and will be charged with protecting your company’s principal and liaison with officials at each of the sites he will be visiting. In this case, let’s assume your principal is a CEO of a firm headquartered in Chicago but he will be traveling to New York City to attend a three-day conference. Generally, especially in government protective security organizations, an advance is completed by a team of agents; however, in this case you work for a moderately sized private sector company and this particular principal is frugal and is attempting to acquire top notch security on the cheap.

First, although your agency’s travel representative should already be aware of your detail’s itinerary, it is normally the responsibility of the detail leader to inform the travel office that agents, or an agent, will be traveling in advance of the detail. However, it is a good idea to contact your firm’s travel agent to ensure they have taken the appropriate steps concerning appropriate air travel, rental car reserved for you at the correct NYC airport, and hotel reservations for the entire time frame you will be in the Big Apple. Generally, you will need about three to four days to advance the detail’s itinerary, and the same number of days the protection team will be on the ground. Not only will you advance each site prior to arrival of the detail in New York, you will then hop and skip from site to site advancing each one and in essence staying one step in front of the security unit.

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The author of this week’s Feature Story (THE ADVANCE) is someone who will be joining the BodyguardCareers.com staff as an ongoing contributor. Please allow me to introduce you to James A. Devino.

James is a seasoned and extensively trained Executive Protection Specialist, possessing over ten years experience conducting or supervising protective service details as a member of several federal law enforcement and/or security agencies. He graduated from the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) special agent training program, a course of study which covered protective security advances, evasive driving tactics, protective choreography, special weapons, emergency medical basics, and protection communications. He has worked as a DSS special agent and has conducted special event protective services for both U.S. and foreign dignitaries, and worked as Special Agent and Special Agent Supervisor with the Coast Guard Investigative Service. James also possesses a Top Secret-SCI Security Clearance and is working toward his CPP designation via ASIS.”

He has his MA in National Security Studies from California State University San Bernardino, and a BA from Chapman College, Orange, CA.

James brings his unique experiences and perspective to Bodyguard Careers and we are pleased he wants to share his extensive knowledge and background with our readers.

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I would also like introduce our Content Editor, Cynthia Uhrich. Cynthia is a writer, responsible for conducting the interviews, editing the stories and in general, makes sure the content is interesting, informative and concise. She also serves as “Virtual Secretary” writing letters, emails, and helping to keep us on track with our deadlines.

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Lastly, I would like to announce a new very worthwhile service of Bodyguard Careers: Career Advancement Tools

I have looked at hundreds and hundreds of resumes, and have discovered the quality and professionalism in the vast majority of these materials to be sorely lacking.

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