I look so forward to getting these articles.

thanks guys.

Rangers Lead the Way

Thank You,
Sgt. Bill Clason/ Colorado

Another issue that was not covered is what I call the “Client Dynamic”. There are countless reasons why an EPS may begin to fall into the trap of complacency…several of which have been touched upon in this forum. Even the most experienced and seasoned agent can fall prey to fatigue, false confidence and frustration.

The fatigue is caused by the obvious hours put in before during and after a detail. A responsible, healthy diet, coupled with ongoing physical training will absolutely help in keeping your edge. An agent who exercises regularly and eats helthfully will also reap more restful, rejuvinating sleep…when sleep is an activity that finally fits into the day. Detail asset levels are very important to the effective functioning of a team and could actually be the subject of an entirely separate article.

False Confidence IS complacency…and has no place anywhere near a protective detail. Each Detail will follow a basic process, which is, itself, repetative: Client interview, Threat Assessment, Contract Review, Asset determination, Advance, Detail Ops and final Detail Debrief. Every aspect of this process needs to be consciously treated as if it is the first time you have done it. You may have built a list of contacts, resources and routes that you draw from…but the moment you assume that your contact at Restaurant-X will be available to follow “the usual” procedure, you will find that that contact is no longer the manager or his cell number has been changed. You may know the primary and secondary routes to the restaurant like the back of your hand but as soon as you blow off a quick-confirm on the route you will find yourself in a construction zone, which is bad on several levels. Many years ago, I sat down in the classroom on my first day of EP School. There were two things written on the large white-board that I still refer to on a daily basis. The first was “DEAD CLIENTS DON’T PAY”. The second was “Chance Favors the Prepared Mind”. We get up and go to work because we have to earn money to live. It’s that simple. We have chosen a field in which we trade our time and skills in the protection of specific life and property…for a pre determined amount of monetary compensation. “Dead clients don’t pay”, says it all. “Chance favors the prepared mind”. If we as protective agents always have a truly prepared mind, the ability for complacency to factor into the outcome of an unadvancable situation, is greatly reduced. We can train, plan, prepare and advance for nearly any situation. The one thing we cannot accurately advance, is Joe Public. The drunk on the street or the unexpected and random situation that is caused by a member of the public which causes the need to go from proactive to reactive in an instant. An agent who is functioning on his edge, will make an instant and correct decision that will not only secure the physicl safety of the principle but will also best protect his or her reputation.

The third area I mentioned early in this post, is frustration. Agent frustration is a dangerous issue that can easily stem from what I call the “Client Dynamic”.

The majority of clients we serve are not only untrained but also do not have a true understanding of their needs. In my experience, clients have been very wealthy, high-profile people with varied threat levels who want to live and function like “normal people”. They do not understand the fact that they are NOT normal people. This fact, mixed with a common attitude of entitlement can lead to a client that is quite difficult to serve on a daily basis. You will put a lot of time and effort into an advance or a protocol that provides a safe movement or environment for your client…and they will change everything or make decisions that will put themselves and you in a dangerous situation. It is important to understand that the client is the boss and it is our job to provide them with whatever it is that they want within the law. This can be quite difficult to do without falling prey to frustration. Frustration-complacency is worse than a complacent false-confidence because it comes from a “screw-it” attitude. Directors and Team-Leaders need to be aware of this dynamic and keep team-communication as open and free-flowing as possible. A team that trusts it’s leaders and understands that the leaders are aware of the client-dynamic, will tend to stay tighter and function closer to their edges despite the difficulties posed by the client. Communication is the most powerful weapon we have available as Executive Security Providers.

Second, about complacency, boredom and tedium, my son’s experience also shows this. He was a USAF check point guard for a more or less out of the way base in a certain country in the Middle East (unnamed). The highlight of every day seemed to be a camel herder about a mile away, same time, same direction, same guy, similar camels.

I encouraged my son to dig into this — count the camels, scope the edges of the scene, scrutinize camel herder, count the lines on the guy’s face and watch what he watches. Note time to the minute, document, chop up the horizon by 10 degree segments, front, sides of field of view, sky. Nothing ever came of all that, just routine, nothing else happened. Utter boredom. The problem was the assets behind him — he was not at that check point for no reason. 120 degree heat notwithstanding, he endured 6 months and brutal hours at that checkpoint. Just a reference point related to the above article.

Another thought — helping endurance and attention. As indicated by another responder, green drinks do indeed add physiological endurance, and lung efficiency if you need to call on it, due to the 02 enhancement to the body from the ingredients. Grind up in a blender fresh spinach greens, 5 leaves of dark green romaine lettuce, a half cup of “Old Orchard” cranberry pomegranite juice, and a half cup of pure apple juice for taste. This is used in combination with off-duty workouts, regular sleep, balanced diet, AND absolutely no caffeine/sugar sodas, which “tend” to increase restroom needs and undermine other physiological factors. Hydrate with water, not sodas.

Plus, regarding the green drinks and workouts, the more strenuous the workouts the better. The body responds to its habits. The body remembers nutrition habits and workout habits similar to remembering the habit of pulling back your front right hand jacket pocket (the pocket with the keys in it adding a little weight) to accomplish a fast draw from your de Santis Gunhide with the 9mm in it!

Thx again.

It is a natural human behavior, and that is why no matter how experienced you are, you sometimes need to go back to the basics.

Back to Basics.
The Arc of Influence.

Sometimes even the most experienced bodyguard needs to re-cap on old information, techniques and strategies. It may be to understand previous information that was not fully understood at the time, but with experience under the belt, now allows a better understanding.

Or we may have just simply forgotten. We may have had a leave of absence from the industry, or have undertaken another roll within security such as a stint in crowd control and need to freshen up our knowledge base for an up coming CPP assignment.

The following is a quick look at “Advanced Protective Formations”. Now the information will provide a spark to those old memory cells, or will enforce the need to undertake a refresher course in group formation.

Close Personal Protection is a complex profession. There are many facets to a Close Protection Operative’s success.
In this issue I will talk about the “Arc of Influence” also known as the Arc of Responsibility. No matter what assignment you are on, from a small security detail like a basic SET (Security Escort Team) or a full PSD (Protective Security Detail) assignment, you should know and adhere to your Arc.
Depending on the size of the team, and your appointed position will determine your Arc. A professional well trained CPO will not deviate from his Arc unless requested by his Operational and or Team Leader, or unless faced with an AOP (Attack on Principal). Your Arc is your responsibility. Sorry for all the “in brackets” information, but as stated this is a re-cap and you may have forgotten the acronyms.

Arc of Influence – (The CPO’s arc of responsibility)
Any CPP detail that requires Single CPO Formation, Open V Formations, Box Formations, Diamond Formations, and or Wedge Formations. The CPO must know their responsibilities within this environment.
AN ATTACK: when it strikes, an Operative with well trained skills in their arc of responsibilities within the given environment will deliver professional personal protection.

Unlike crowd control or basic security services, the CPO must be able to work within a team yet at the same time know their arc of responsibility, not falter in the event of an AOP (Attack On Principal). He/She must know their limitations, expectations, and variations.

In team formations there will be movement and changing of formation positions regularly throughout the escorting of a VIP from point A to point B. Variations on your arc of responsibility will change, you must adapt fast. Like with anything in life, training and reinforcement will create the natural and physical skills required to automatically react as required.

Never assume that basic theory will provide you with what you need to succeed.

There are many variations and approaches to implementing your arc. So it is important that you can adapt to change at a very rapid rate. As your arc is not defined by rules and guidelines when an attack is underway, your arc can change in an instant when faced with the rules of engagement. This is where, like any area of physical training, you need to practice variations.

For example: Your arc will be defined by your roll in the SET (Security Escort Team) if you are front right of a box formation, your arc will be defined by that delegated position. If a directional change is called from North to South, your arc will once again change to the new delegated position. This can be an ongoing process throughout the escort detail. You need to adapt to the change.

So what happens when you are under attack?
When under attack, this is where training and repetition of drills come into play. If you haven’t trained, failure is just around the corner. Training will develop intuition and reactions based on muscle memory and rehearsed scenarios.

As I have stated, your arc is not defined by set rules and guidelines (yes there are methods, techniques, procedures, and responsibilities) when an attack is underway. It will require instant response. If your team is down an operative or more due to dealing with an attacker, your arc may shift from a designated area of responsibility to a single protection responsibility, especially if the Primary Escort is taken out, and you have assumed that roll due to proximity. In other words you were the closest to the client (Principal) and need to extract ASAP.
However, it may not even be that dramatic. It may simply be that during a VIP event, an unexpected crowd has gathered, and part of the SET team is required to advance to secure the area, and your responsibility once again has been changed and you may be part of a two man formation. Where the Primary Escort will still remain in his/her delegated position, and you will take up the responsibility as the point man. Your arc is now expanded to not only a wider arc, but a deeper arc. Your field of view is not only dedicated to what can come from left, right and center, but your distance has also now increased.
Overreact and your credibility can be bruised not your body. By this I mean that if the possibility of attack is minimal, and that the gathering of a boisterous crowd may be due to celebrity related issues, you don’t want to take down an individual simply wanting an autograph. However, if you are not well trained in SET formations and your arc of responsibility, overreacting is sometimes a habit not an option.

Always remember training is not just about what goes on in the classroom. Training is about taking mental notes and challenges in everyday life. When out shopping utilize mirrors, reflections from shop front windows, reflections from shinny tiled areas, assess what is going on around you. Use your environment.
You should train for single protection details, as well as group formations. Even if you are working with your regular formed team, or are allocated to a different team for an assignment, if you are well trained in SET formations you can adapt and fit in. If you are not well trained, you are not only putting yourself at risk, but your other team members, and more importantly the PRINCIPAL.

Remember the old saying “there is no I in team”, but there are 2 in training.

Written By: Karl Thornton
Executive Protection Specialist
538 Pty Ltd

Working 14 hour days, 7 days a week, for months on end will always take it’s toll.

I find that a healthy diet is the most important thing when it comes to maintaining one’s energy. I find if you can maintain your energy, than you can maintain your edge.

Green vegatables are one of my favorites for keeping me alert. Greens are low in calories, and high in megajoules of energy. Green drinks and green supplaments are also widely avaible, which is great for those of us that don’t have time to sit down to a proper meal.

Avoid junk food or fast food at all costs, this stuff is high in calories and low in magajoules of energy.

Avoid as much sugar as possible, sugar is one of the worst things you can put into your body. Soda pop is the anti-christ. Also, even the sugar in fruit and fruit jucies is still sugar. So instead of juice, drink water.

Garbage in = Garbage out.

Stay Sharp!

My situation is fairly unique – I am a lone female traveling on average 2-3 week trips. There has never been any inappropriate behavior and I have made the owner and the company on of my trusted advisors.

Losing your edge towards the end of a trip or at an event where it would seem to be the last place anyone would attempt anything can have consequences. At an event with my agent – many secruity guards and counter (retail store) a “respectable crowd”. Some one did come up behind me and well…let’s just say a bump and grind. I was startled (to put it lightly). After talking with the agent and the owner about what happened they assured me it will never happen again.

To which I replied – you can not promise me that. All we can do is work together as a team and do the best we can to keep it from happening again. Again, I may not be “high profile” – intend to keep it that way – but anything can happen at any time, at any place.

As a client – I now hire in country support for my agent. It is difficult at best being the only agent for a client on an extended trip…and it does not help that I am a female. This is my way of supporting and working as a team. By doing this I IN NO WAY think the agents that work for me are lazy or sloppy. In fact they have proven time and time again they are not.

Besides – watching agents in other countries working executive protection for a lone female (stubborn at that) for the first time is quite an eye opener.

What I also want to say – is that I would not be able to do what I do with out you all. Even if it does not seem so at times – You reall do make a difference – and I thank you.