By Bruce Alexander

I thought this article by Steve Ashley was as much applicable to the Executive Protection community as it is to the patrol function in Law Enforcement. With the high profile accident of Governor Corzine and the spotlight on Executive Protection and Executive Protection specific driving skills, Mr. Ashley’s reminder that driving skills are perishable skills is equally true for the Executive Protection community.

I have also been thinking about those agencies and organizations with protective details that are not staffed full time with Executive Protection agents who have to transition from one mind set to another. There is another set of challenges there which should be addressed in terms of training and policy.

We have at least three considerations when it comes to Executive Protection specific driving. First, we have the motorcade portion which calls for certain skills. Second, we have the emergency driving aspect which is performed during an attack and Third, we have accident avoidance or safety considerations which is performed in the motorcade formation as well as in response to a threat/attack.

One lesson learned from the Corzine incident, is that the Executive Protection community must consider driving on the same par as firearms or protective tactics. It’s not only the high speed low-drag stuff that will get us into trouble. It’s also the mundane (or what is perceived as mundane) such as accident avoidance and motorcade discipline. We can’t afford to be complacent with the ordinary.

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.

(more…)

By Bruce Alexander

A past issue of Forbes magazine’s online edition has a must read article entitled “High-Security, High-End Homes” (http://www.forbes.com/2007/03/28/secure-tech-homes-

forbeslife-cx_mw_0329securehomes_print.html).
The article, written by Matt Woolsey, offers a glimpse into high end  executive security features in the homes of some of the rich and famous.

There is a series of pictures accompanying the article of these super luxurious residences that boast equally superior security features. The photo tour of the various residences is entertaining but does not (as it should) provide specifics of the security features associated with each residence. However there’s more than a few interesting tidbits in the article. Take for example, the description of One Hyde Park, the luxury London homes purported to be the most expensive in the world at $165 million each. There are four penthouses at One Hyde Park each equipped with filtered air, bullet resistant windows and iris scanners (presumably so your latch-key kid living here doesn’t have to worry about losing his/her key anymore).

(more…)

 Loading ...

Cast your vote – and if you chose “other” – leave a comment with your pick below!