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By Doc Rogers
Sure halls and walls duty is at the bottom of the EP food chain. There’s no glamour, excitement, no fame or recognition (you are in the wrong business it this is your desire). There are only the empty halls and blank walls looking at you. However, it does provide golden opportunities for new bodyguards. Detail leaders are usually looking for new bodyguards to fill open halls and walls positions.
Let’s examine how to be a successful halls and walls guy:
Professionalism – Show the competence and skill expected of a professional. When the client or EP team members are in your presence stand up and look alert. If you want to be taken seriously in business, you have to dress the part; suit, tie and highly polished shoes. Be presentable in your walk and talk as well.
Discipline – Obey rules and code of behavior of a halls and walls agent. This means staying alert your entire shift and never leaving the client’s door unguarded.
Dependable – Be trustworthy, reliable and show up thirty minutes early each day.
Education – Learn as much as you can about the EP trade. Take a workshop and become a “trained” agent, your chances will go up much higher for getting on the client’s close protection team. Read good books and magazines on the subject to make you more knowledgeable and better equipped for the role of a bodyguard.
Keep Strong and Healthy – There is no such thing as a weak or sick bodyguard, keep a regular fitness and nutrition program. Your health is your wealth in this business.
Halls and walls duty can and does open doors in the EP business. However, the numbers of halls and walls agents who move beyond this first step are few because they do not approach the job seriously or are ill-equipped. Use these recommendations to catapult your from halls and walls agent to a member of the clients close protection team. Keep safe and God speed.
I respect all that you’re saying. But your assessment that most (you suggest) agents don’t move past ‘h&w’ is because they don’t take the job seriously or are ill-equipped, is totally off target.
In my experience, I’ve seen that the foundational-level (lowest on the EP order) make at least as much as their bosses. Most often, much more. And the agent at the ‘low-level’ (if you want to think of it like that) has a much more direct/simple scope of responsibility. So many in the community see these elevated positions, and see the selectee’s/hires come and go, and realize “hey, I don’t want to take on a ton more responsibility-and a moral urge to mature and nurture the program-and loose a fuck-ton of money and also… FREEDOM… 24/7. Anytime I’m needed.”
Not hard to recognize how so many in our community haven’t “moved up.” That group which hasn’t is already at the top, in a sense, looking down on all who aren’t up there!
Thank you Maxwell for your kind comments, Sir. Keep safe and God speed. Doc
Awesome article!! Great insight into critical details that can determine a CPO’s elevation into higher levels of EP field. Thank you.