Executive Protection Schools
By Douglas Belton
Several years ago I was on a layover at Midway Airport when I noticed a professionally dressed woman looking in my direction wearing an expression that I quickly recognized as one of familiarity. You know the look that someone gives you right before the index finger begins to wag and that age old line rolls off the tongue, “Hey, don’t I know you from someplace?”
The interesting thing was that she wasn’t so much looking at me as she was looking at my black portfolio with the bright red embossed emblem which read, “SPI” for, Southern Police Institute. That black portfolio and the Kentucky Colonel plaque that hangs in my office are the membership cards that tie me into an elite group of law enforcement professionals with whom I share a common experience and a common set of credentials.
In law enforcement circles there are only a few command schools that really matter, The FBI Academy, Northwestern Command School, and the Southern Police Institute. If you have attended one of those three schools you have met the first several key requirements for any command level police chief job you might be pursuing.
Much talk has been made of two essential ingredients for success in the professional world these days. The two new buzz words are “Branding” and “Networking.” If you want to get the job or the contract its all about your brand and your network, few other things matter as much. As it is in the world of law enforcement, there are certain executive protection schools that will set you apart from the competition and effectively “Brand” you as a serious contender for desirable work and that will expand your “Network” so that you are not alone in marketing yourself.
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At the conclusion of this article we will show you how to make an informed decision about which executive protection school you will attend. But first, lets talk a little bit about what’s out there and how to avoid some of the predatory marketing practices of schools that will leave you broke, ignorant, and empty handed, when its time to produce some credentials.
If you want to be certified in CPR go take a Red Cross course and they will certify you. If you want to be certified to teach a firearms course the NRA can fix you up. But if you want to be a certified executive protection specialist there is no such certification available. A school can give you a certification that says you passed their course, but that certification is not universally recognized as a qualifier to perform EP services. Any executive protection school that promises they will certify you as an EP specialist without carefully explaining that their certificate does not meet any legal standard for qualification is trying to take advantage of you. Because there is no legal requirement of certification for EP services, there is no true need for any executive protection school to offer certification other than as a document to indicate you passed their course.
However, it is important to note that some reputable executive protection schools
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President of Bodyguards Careers Harlan Austin has acquired over 25 years of field experience as an Executive Protection Specialist, seven years of which he served as Director of Security Services for Paisley Park Productions.
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September 15th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Great article Douglas!
The importance of attending a top-tier school cannot be over emphasized.
Although I am a graduate of an excellent school, I recently was told by a prospective employer in Silicon Valley I was beaten out for a very prestigous EP job by a graduate of the school many know as the oldest and most famous in the industry despite my greater experience and superior academic qualifications.
The client was so adamant about having a new addition to his protection team come from a top tier school, he decided to personally start asking questions about where the best come from in many instances.
Choose wisely as Hucky and Douglas say!
Jim
September 17th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
I cannot thank you enough for writing this article. In so many of my conversations with prospective EP students, I find myself dispelling the myths that you speak of. I ended up writing a pretty direct blog post about it. I’m amazed by some of the things they have been told by schools. So I second your comments. And third. And fourth.
September 20th, 2010 at 7:45 am
[...] A good article by Douglas Belton about EP Schools – an excerpt from the article – “If you want to get the job or the contract it’s all about your brand and your network, few other things matter as much - There are EP Schools that will set you apart from the competition and effectively “Brand” you as a serious contender for desirable work and that will expand your “Network” so that you are not alone in marketing yourself.” [...]
September 25th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
I’ve been doing research on executive protection schools. I live on the East Coast and I have narrowed my choices down between EPI, and John Sexton in your opinion which school is the best?
September 27th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
Hey George, saw your post and thought I’d give you my recommendation. I’m a little jaded being that I’m an EPI graduate, have been an Instructor there now for 15 years, and I’m now the Executive Director. EPI is one of the best known EP training schools there is today and has been running continuous courses since 1978 (some schools schedule courses they don’t actually have). I don’t want to talk about any other school but it’s interesting to note that many of those who have their own school now went through EPI and have imitated EPI’s 7 day program. EPI brings in 20 instructors for our 7 day program, all of whom are subject matter experts and bring a wealth of real world experience and knowledge. I believe that is one of the highest instructor to student ratios in the business. In addition to attending one of the best known schools, as a graduate, you become a member of the Nine Lives Associates which increases your networking and professional position in the EP profession. I hope this helps with making your decision. Jerry Heying, CPP, PPS, Executive Director, Executive Protection Institute (EPI)
October 11th, 2010 at 10:24 am
Great article Douglas (Mr. Green, if you would contact me directly, I will give you some additional info, as I don’t want to take away the focus from Mr. Belton’s article).
I agree wholeheartedly with your view on training schools, Mr. Belton. One of the reasons I decided to open my Executive Security Training School in the Washington D.C. Metro Area was so that we could gain certification by a Govenment body as an offically certified training school. The Department of Criminal Justice Services is regarded as one of the strictest private security regulatory authorities in the Nation.
Having said that, I still considered the mandated Personal Protection training program to be of a minimum standard and decided to increase the hours of training and add several additional courses – some of which are independently certified – in order to give students a more advanced training program and a “leg up” on their competition.
Your article stresses the importance for students to fully investigate the different schools out there. I could not agree more. The two most important words that you need to remember as you contemplate starting out in this field (and for all the time you remain in it) will be; Due Diligence.
Just because a school has been around since the dawn of time, doesn’t necessarily make them the best. Find out which school is teaching relevant material for today’s world. Instructor’s who have been teaching for the past 40 years are certainly knowledgeable, but how much do they know about “the street” when they are in their 70s and 80s? Likewise, some young guy who just got out of college and has a lot of acedemic qualifications will not be able to pass on the much needed hands-on training gained by real-world experience.
Contact local Chambers of Commerce, State Associations whose members are made up entirely of security practitioners (example is PISA in Virginia), the Better Business Bureau and ALWAYS contact past graduates from various schools. Annonymous testimonials are of no worth, so make sure you find real people to ask. Making an investment in one’s self is the wisest choice most of us will ever make, so chose well. Take your time and be sure the school not only gives you what you want, but that they exceed your every expectation.