Bodyguard Careers

Bodyguard Careers is an informational site with the purpose of providing bodyguards with all the information and tools necessary to succeed in the executive protection industry.

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Hucky

INNOVATIVE

Insider Tips

By: Sean Spellecy

Smile Bodyguard Smile…

No Neck, No Smile, Intimidating Stare, Mean Looking, No Smile, etc… Sound familiar? It is the way bodyguards have been described for years. It is time we changed the way we look. I own a personal protection agency in Tulsa, Oklahoma and one of the first things I look for in a prospective agent is the ability to smile. Why you ask? Are not bodyguards supposed to scare people off without even so much as a movement? Do we not want people to intimidate just on a glance, a glance that tells any would be threat that coming near our asset would be a mistake? The answer is of course we do!

However, the problem rests in being mindful enough to turn it on and off. The “Bodyguard Industry” needs rejuvenation and reinvention and it starts with a smile. What we have done here in Tulsa, and what will be replicated throughout the country in the next two years is not just learning the importance of smiling. However, it does lend itself to the recipe for our success. “Smiling” lets your client know that you have a personality, that you know how to enjoy life, and most importantly, you are confident in who you are and what you are doing.  Does the ability to smile make up for the ability to recognize a dangerous situation beforehand? How about the ability to disarm a threat, or move your asset through a hostile crowd? Absolutely not. Yet, I have had men and women through my door (and then out again) that I am sure could handle themselves quite well.

They just never smiled!

Gear Down!

Featured Articles

Gear Down! Staying Below the RADAR in Protective Operations

By: R. E. Rick Colliver

Let’s face it; we all like gear! More importantly, we like the kind of gear that the high-speed operators endorse. Whether we intend to use it every day in a demanding environment, or throw it in the trunk of our car “for that day”, we want to know that we are using what the experts recommend.  We are proud of our gear, and we want our peers to know that we wear, carry or shoot, only the finest. Many of us have seen (or owned) the T-shirt that says “If you die first, we’re splitting up…”; enough said.

However, when working in the often-misunderstood field of protective operations, calling attention to our gear is usually a mistake. It lets others know who we are, and it often alienates or worries the very people we are assigned to protect.  If we think back to the principal focus of a protective mission, it is not only to prevent the intentional or unintentional injury to the protectee, but also to prevent embarrassment. And, protection can only be successful if the protectee and their organization are cooperative and engaged.

[Read more…] about Gear Down!

Interview with John Sexton

A Professional Speaks

John Sexton has over 20 years of experience in law enforcement and security, both in the United States and abroad. He’s written numerous articles on security-related topics for international publications, and Sexton Executive Security provides services and training for government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. John recently traveled to China, the Middle East and India and he’s planning executive security training programs in Beijing, Shanghai, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E.

BGC: How did you get started in the Executive Protection Field?

JS: Actually I can still vividly recall the first E.P. detail I ever worked. It was in the early 80’s in Ireland and I was assigned to protect a judge who was sitting on the bench trying a Terrorist (Offenses Against the State Act) case. At that time our terrorists thought nothing of assassinating a judge in order to have a case halted. It was their way of getting an adjournment.

I was a uniformed Police Officer and the job needed to be done by a plain clothes officer. That morning when I reported for duty, the Station House Sergeant told me to go home and change into “civvies” as I would be protecting the judge. I went down to the Judge’s home where we had a temporary trailer parked for the duration of the trial. The officer I was relieving handed me an old Webley revolver and a lozenge can which contained a handful of bullets.  Thankfully the terrorists didn’t show up during my shift as I am quite sure that my weapons (probably dating back 60 years to our civil war) wouldn’t have even slowed them down as they were typically equipped with Armalite Rifles and Semtex when they were activated for a mission.

BGC: Who are your typical clients? Celebrities, executives, political figures?

JS: We have celebrity, executive and political clients at times. The majority of the time though, our clients are executives.

BGC: What factors should new people who are interested in getting into this field consider? [Read more…] about Interview with John Sexton

Put Emphasis on the Positive

Hucky Austin

By Hucky Austin

Some protected executives bristle at what they see as restrictions on their movement, or the extra burden of security measures. Point out to them that the advance work required to keep them safe also reduces their time spent waiting in airports or stuck in traffic jams.

John Mayer and Bodyguard in Fracas With Paparazzi

In The News

On Wednesday,November 19th 2008, Musician John Mayer’s bodyguard crossed a line. Mayer was enjoying a night out on the town in Hollywood, dining at The Steakhouse, one of Wolfgang Puck’s Beverly Hills eateries, when he decided to leave from the front entrance of the restaurant,rather than the planned exit out of the back of the establishment. Mayer and his bodyguard walked into a throng of paparazzi, all eager to snap pictures. Just as Mayer was ducking into his BMW, one photog was over-eager and Mayer’s bodyguard pushed him to the ground, grabbing him by the throat according to onlookers. The photographer went to the Tarzana hospital to be checked for injuries, and is reportedly planning to contact his lawyers.

* * * * * * * * *

Here’s another story to file under: What Were They Thinking?!

First of all, both Mayer and the bodyguard need to be held accountable.

Physical contact and altercations like this should not be happening, and a well-trained bodyguard knows better than to shove, and then worse, to grab an individual by the throat, once he’s down!? These moves are aggressive and out of control. Why anybody would think this physical maneuver was acceptable is beyond me–and to make such an error in judgment in front of a crowd of paparazzi and fans? It just make Mayer look bad, and most certainly opens him up to a lawsuit.

Secondly, my guess is Mayer’s bodyguard was not prepared for Mayer’s sudden change in plans to leave The Steakhouse via the front entrance.

Surely, Mayer had to have known that leaving from the most public access point was fool-hardy and maybe just a little self-involved…or perhaps he was in some way impaired in his decision-making ability. It begs the question, “Did he WANT the attention?” Surely, his bodyguard advised him against exiting from the front of the restaurant. Well, if there is indeed a lawsuit, then I suspect the cost of that “attention” will be significantly more than he intended to pay.

 

Support Bodyguard Careers

Personal Protection Jobs

Hello Folks. It’s Jeff Again, the lesser known half of Bodyguard Careers. Generally you will only hear from me when it comes to updates to the site and other housekeeping issues. Unfortunately, it is time for me to clean house and make a request to our readers.

You see, while Hucky does a good job of playing the role of “Good Cop” on this site, I have the unenviable role as being the “Bad Cop” when it comes to keeping Bodyguard Careers running smoothly. I am the Yin to Hucky’s Yang. The Jackie Chan to Huck’s Chris Tucker. The Vanilla Ice to Hucky’s MC Hammer (ok, that is a stretch).

As you already know, Bodyguard Careers provides useful information and services to our readers that we feel are among the best in the Executive Protection Industry. From weekly feature articles to job postings to monthly emails to a robust resume submission system, we try to provide something for everyone who visits the site. All of these services are FREE to our visitors, and are funded by revenue that we receive through advertisements on the right and left hand sides of our blog.

Until now, these ads have provided sufficient revenue to cover our hosting charges, email delivery fees and development costs. Unfortunately, revenue has been on a steady decline, and the site is no longer carrying its own weight. Call it the economy or call it something else, but the bottom line is this; we need help in order to keep this site up and running.

This brings me to the reason why I write this post. I wanted to point out a new feature that you will see on the right hand sidebar of the site. This is a “donate” button from Paypal that allows you to donate money to help support our site. We are not asking for much, but if you could spare a few dollars, it will go a long way toward keeping this site alive and thriving.

If you want to keep Bodyguard Careers FREE, please DONATE today. $1,$5, $20, any little bit counts!

(Note: You can donate by clicking on the donate button on the right side of the screen)

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