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Winning Tactics About Executive Protection From Jerry Heying

Industry Leader

INDUSTRY LEADER: Jerry Heying – Part I

Jerry Heying of IPG
Jerry Heying

Over 40 years in the Executive Protection Business

Jerry Heying is a highly-respected leader in the field of Executive Protection. His professional credentials are impressive: He served as an instructor, then as the Executive Director and now is the CEO of the Executive Protection Institute (EPI). He is the President and CEO of the International Protection Group (IPG) and its subsidiary International Protective Service Agency (IPSA).

Jerry is President of the Academy of Security Educators and Trainers and is a Founding Board Member of the International Protective Security Board. He has been a member of ASIS International since 1979 and is actively involved as the current Vice Chair of the Hudson Valley NY Chapter, the Membership Committee Chair of the Executive Protection Council, and the past chair of the Fire and Life Safety Council. He is also a member of the Nine Lives Associates and actively involved with numerous other professional organizations.

Forging His Own Path to an Executive Protection Career

Jerry’s career entre into Executive Protection was not linear. In the 1970s, most security professionals were drawn from applicants with law-enforcement or military backgrounds. Since Jerry Heying did not have experience in those areas, he began in construction management then segued into managing properties for the estates of prominent individuals with what could be considered “high-risk profiles.” He parlayed those relationships into security management in 1977 and in 1986 turned those experiences into an executive protection career.

With a great deal of large event security details under his belt, he started his own Security business in 1989 which included securing large events not only in the U.S., but also abroad. After that, his career continued its upward trajectory when he took over EPI in 2009, and today he is one of the most respected experts in the field.

A Career in Executive or Personal Protection Service: See it and Believe it to Achieve it

Jerry credits hard work and a good dose of positive thinking to his success. He cites a quote by Napoleon Hill (author of “Think and Grow Rich” originally published in 1937, and recently updated by Arthur R. Pell, Ph.D.) “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.” According to Jerry, the book changed his life because he realized that it was within his power to change his outlook on life’s circumstances from a negative experience to a positive one. The importance of a positive outlook is clear when following Jerry’s career trajectory. “As a C minus High School graduate and former hippie ski bum, I’ve done pretty well for myself in the security profession. Especially, when you consider that when I first got into it—95% were former LEO or military—and I didn’t have a background in either!”

Jerry Heying shares that when entering the EPS profession it is essential to be able to visualize it in your mind’s eye, in order to realize your goal.

“Create a step-by-step plan; what I call ‘Career GPS’ so that it’s not just wishful thinking. You need to have a not only a desire for this type of work, but also the drive to see it through.” He pointed out that to have a dream about a career in this field isn’t the same thing as having a passion for it. Passion is what fuels the drive. The drive is putting things into action.

Success Working Security Details: Attitude is Everything

Further, Jerry says attitude is everything. “I’ve met some skilled operators who have the mechanics down but are not polished or don’t put their heart into it. They generally don’t seem to last long-term.”

In addition to putting a plan in place, and possessing a positive outlook, there are core personality traits that are essential for success as a Personal Protection Specialist (PPS): trustworthiness, honesty, loyalty, discretion and integrity. When working closely with a notable presence, whether a celebrity or an executive, the expectation is that the PPS will adhere to a professional code which means personal business, information or even secrets related to the client are not to be revealed. Respecting the principal’s personal life is crucial. Jerry points out that is not the job of the PPS to act as “the morals police” but adds that a security professional is also not required to put him or herself in an unlawful situation. He also cautions against “the high” that some protection specialists experience when working with celebrities who might be over-demanding. “It’s important to strike a balance between work life and a professional life and to remember that you need to set boundaries. If having a family-life is important to you, accepting a year-long assignment on a world-tour may not be the best fit.”

Jerry reflects further on the role of “integrity” which means honoring the commitments made to a placement service that arranges the protection assignment. It is considered disrespectful in the PPS business to step around the agreement and approach the principal asking to be a direct-hire. Accepting an offer of employment extended by the celebrity without communicating with the placement service is also deemed dishonest.

Bodyguard Education
Executive Protection Institute

Get The Ball Rolling on Your Executive/Personal Protection Career: Step One of “Career GPS”

Jerry Heying believes the first step to beginning on the path towards a career as a personal protection specialist is to get the best training possible at a reputable school. While it’s true that not all “bodyguards” have training, it has now become an esteemed profession. Physical size and the ability to use a weapon are not enough to succeed. The business is really about the art of avoidance, and Jerry illustrates this by pointing out that in all the time that the Secret Service has been in place—no firearms have ever been discharged in a protective mission.

Graduates of the Executive Protection Institute’s premiere 7-day course (100 hours of instruction) can attest to the importance of this training program. Working professionals in the business who have attended the course as a “refresher” have commented that they’ve learned new things about their own profession and found the course beneficial. Jerry is proud of the fact that EPI has 15 to 20 instructors on board who teach based on their particular area of expertise. Graduates of the 7-day program receive EPI’s Personal Protection Specialist (PPS) certification.

“Paying Dues” Crucial to Moving Forward as a Professional Personal Protection Specialist

Jerry equates the pathway of getting into Executive Protection as being similar to someone who wants to be an actor. “They have to go to a school to learn the craft, and upon completion, they need to audition and take bit parts. They have to pay their dues.”

This means that one must be open to volunteering. Sometimes, those opportunities lead to bigger things. Jerry shared this story: “One EPI graduate was asked to volunteer for a non-profit event. The only requirement was that he wear a black suit. The graduate did not own one, but did not want to miss out on the opportunity, and said that he would purchase one…even though it was an unpaid assignment. Because of the student’s attitude and training, that one assignment turned into a 3 ½ year highly paid job.”

While volunteer positions won’t fill pockets, they can lead to letters of reference and begin to build a resume.

Other ways Jerry Heying suggests a newcomer might build a career foundation is to volunteer or accept moderate pay for their services in a protection support role to high-profile or high-wealth individuals. “Halls and Walls” assignments are those where security is placed outside of a suite, or in a secondary protective position, usually further away from the principal. Often, these assignments are overnight. Another piece of advice is to reach out (in advance) to somewhat high-profile people such as a guest speaker at an event, or an author at a book signing. These individuals may not have personal protection, and could be open to the services of a qualified graduate of a PPS program. Other ideas include volunteering to “shadow” a professional on a protection assignment, or working as the follow-car driver to transport the family members or friends of the principle.

One of the newest areas to consider volunteering is by working at places of worship. More about that in Part 2 of Bodyguard Career’s story on industry leader Jerry Heying.

Interested in Learning More about EPI? Visit https://personalprotection.com/

This article was written by Bodyguard Careers staff writer Cynthia Uhrich. If you would like to be featured in the series (or know of someone who would make an excellent subject) feel free to contact “Industry Leaders” Editor Cynthia Uhrich at: cynthiauhrich@gmail.com

Interested in female subjects and people of all backgrounds who are stars in the field.

Why Executive Protection Training is Necessary

Damien Richey, Featured Articles

What should an Executive Protection Training course contain? This is an interesting question. Executive Protection is one of the only industries in which its practitioners claim responsibility for their client’s safety and wellbeing, yet there are virtually no requirements to enter the field and state regulations vary greatly.

Why Executive Protection Training is Necessary
Bodyguard

Virginia seems to have the most professional standards while some states have none. California, with all of its billionaires, only requires practitioners to be breathing. If one can make it through the rigorous requirements of the eight-hour Guard Card course, which has nothing to do with protection, one is considered employable in the industry.

Executive Protection Training Courses

Executive Protection Training courses vary in length from 1-day exposures to 7 days taught by Executive Protection Institute (EPI) and other schools to several weeks at places like Executive Security International (ESI). Having taught at EPI and working as a protection professional, I cannot imagine what a 1-day seminar would contain that would qualify one for the job.

As amazing at it seems in our profession, one can take a 40-hour class, and work in the field almost immediately. Compare this to a Starbucks barista that gets a minimum of 24 hours of training, albeit in their first two weeks of work.

Granted, there are many protection professionals out there with no training working now, or former law enforcement and military with no protection training/experience hired simply because of their status, which has virtually no relevance or application in the field. Getting executive protection training is important.

Executive protection training can be broken down into three areas: soft skills, hard skills, and specialty skills. Soft skills are all of the skills required to do the job 99% of the time. They include etiquette, advances, formations, arrivals and departures, vehicle placement and positioning, etc.

Hard skills are shooting, driving, and unarmed combat. Specialty skills are PSD, surveillance detection, and medical.  Executive Protection Training should be conducted to know and learn the job. Hard skills and specialty skills training should be conducted separately from protection training as they all require more time and effort than most schools and practitioners can afford all at once.

There are some out there that say the “big four” ESI, Oatman, EPI and ITG are the only way to go but consider how many people are working only from these schools. Do not be deterred if your budget will not support one of the “big four” schools. Do not be dissuaded because “one of my friends told you” X only teaches private military type protection, not Executive Protection Training. Companies that are famous, or infamous, because of their presence overseas in high threat areas also have Executive Protection Training courses that are very good.

Soft Skills
The great thing about soft skills is they can be taught in roughly a week’s time. Granted this week merely gives aspiring protectors just a glimpse at what executive protection entails, however, the principles and fundamentals can be learned.

This training may need to be revisited every five years or so to remain current, and supplemental training should be conducted periodically.  Those who have done State Department WPPS/WPS or other similar training should also attend an executive protection training course. Many of the drills are the same, but the nuances for executive protection are different. PSD should be considered a specialty for protection.

From the school selected, it should offer at a minimum: detail positions and functions, how to conduct an advance, what is involved in planning a protective operations order, formations, arrivals and departures, etiquette, threat assessments, and AOP’s or attack on principal drills, on foot and from vehicles and include practical application of all of the above. Some may consider AOP drills hard skills but as they are often conducted unarmed we will leave them here.

Hard Skills
For the most part, driving is a once every few years or more training. The concepts of vehicle dynamics have not changed much in the last 15 years or so, and one can only ram, J-turn and reverse out so many times before they take away the toys anyway.

A driving course should allow you to drive beyond normal limits, drive an armored car if available, practice PIT maneuvers and counter-pits, ramming, motorcade driving, close quarters driving and the like. Moreover, the course you select should offer you everything you need for both offensive and defensive driving skills in your current job or one you intend to pursue.

Unarmed combat skills should initially be a style of combat you can learn in the day and use in the parking lot that night every time you go. If you are learning a system or art it will take you a long time to master it and thus, may not be effective if you need it right now. It should focus on empty hand, uses of improvised weapons and allow you to stay on your feet or get there quickly if you go down.

Shooting skills is a big one. It is perishable, but it is a tool. Many go armed with a gun, but unarmed in employment, presentation, and manipulation of it. While we should be able to think our way out of trouble 1000 more times than shoot our way out of it, it is imperative we are proficient in our weapons handling. If your EP school focuses on shooting, you will need to make up the other lessons lost somewhere else.

Shooting is a skill that requires refinement and practice. Protection shooting drills are different and require thinking of the principal before yourself. One handed shooting is a focus in order to control and move the principal as needed. Many EP schools show you weapons drills but do not focus on marksmanship.  This is a good thing. The idea behind this is you should recognize a weakness and correct it. Get to a shooting course or protective shooting course if this applies to you.

Specialty Skills
Specialties, like PSD, protective intelligence, counter-surveillance and medical, require additional training and a full-time focus on the specialty in order to gain and maintain proficiency.

As well, with medical, there are national certifications often bolstered by state requirements. Most professional certifications require continuing education units or periodic recertification to maintain the certification. This is also a good thing as the industry strengthens itself with certified professionals and specialties.

Find a School or Course
Do your research, talk to other professionals. Call the schools and talk to the instructors. If you talk to the sales folks, consider what they say with a grain of salt, remember, they are trying to sell you.

Ask the instructor when the last time he worked a detail. Ask him if he has done overseas assignments and where? All of these things are important because you want the most current training and experience. Consider the course costs; break them down to how much each training day is costing you. First look at schools in your area, unless you have a specific school in mind. Travel, lodging, and meals can eat into a budget rather quickly. Use your training dollars to maximize your training base leaving you as a well-rounded EP practitioner as possible.

The author Damien Richey is a practicing protection provider with over 14 years in the industry. He has taught protection courses for several schools, he has also provided executive protection throughout the United States and Europe, and high-risk protection in several war zones. If you would like more information on executive protection training, please fill out the form below.

So let’s connect soon!

Warmest Regards

Founder of Bodyguard Careers

Harlan (Hucky) Austin

Momo Challenge: The Newest Threat To Executive Protection

Featured Articles, Personal Protection Jobs

Many years ago, on this very website, I posted the article “Don’t Forget the Kids.” The families of protected principals may be the subject of a threat and may need coverage. The family may be more vulnerable, in fact, than the principal.


Momo Challenge


Momo Challenge

As protectors, we’re constantly looking for ways to mitigate risk. Unfortunately, there is a new threat that may already be in the very homes that we are charged to protect, The Momo Challenge!


So, just what is the Momo Challenge?


In 2018 the “Momo Game” or “Momo Challenge” gained international recognition and was initially considered a hoax, quickly becoming a widespread meme. In August 2018, law enforcement investigated the influence of Momo in the death of a 12-year-old in Argentina.

This caused parents worldwide to be concerned as to the potentially real dangers of the challenge. Children engage in the challenge by contacting a stranger, to whom they conceal themselves as “Momo” by using a creepy image and communicating primarily through the Facebook-owned
messaging application, WhatsApp. 

Momo encourages a participant to complete various tasks in
order to avoid being “cursed.” There have been reports of trolls editing kid-friendly YouTube videos to include images of Momo, as well as instructions encouraging them to harm themselves and their families by turning on the stove while their parents are sleeping, or sticking forks in electrical outlets. 

Momo also tells the children that, if they say anything to their parents,
it will come to their house and kill them.


Addressing The Risk


Instead of alarming children about explicit dangers such as Momo, parents and protectors can better help children by educating them on good online practices.

It’s important that children know that they should not be trying to contact strangers online,
regardless of the method. Setting privacy systems on devices with your child is a great way to have this conversation and agree on automatic precautions.

“A much better approach,” said Carmel Glassbrook, manager of Professionals Online Safety Helpline, “is for professionals to focus on ensuring the door is open for children to talk about
these kinds of issues and teaching good practice rather than telling them there’s a big red button they mustn’t push.”

Developing an atmosphere of openness and transparency about online activity ensures that children can thrive. If you do notice them switching screens on their devices when approached or new numbers or email addresses on their devices, it’s worth checking in with them.

Keep video games and YouTube watching, two major ways these stories circulate, in shared family spaces. In video games, you can set restrictions on friends and access to user generated content that may include Momo themed add-ons.

YouTube has been flagging videos that include Momo content as being “Identified by the YouTube community as inappropriate or offensive to some audiences,” and that “viewer discretion is advised.” If you have activated Restricted Mode on your child’s account, this content is not available to them.


Momo Challenge


Conclusion

In closing, it is not my intention to contribute to the “Momo Challenge” mass hysteria, I only wish to inform my fellow protectors of the latest threat to Executive Protection. And as always, remember, Executive Protection is 99% boredom, 1% sheer terror. We must constantly be prepared for that 1%.

Bodyguards Need Physical and Mental Fortitude

Doc Rogers, Featured Articles

Bodyguards are not Thugs

Bodyguards
Bodyguarding the Queen

 

Bodyguards are often betrayed as knuckle-dragging thugs. This common misconception couldn’t be further from the truth. This article tells what is really needed to become a bodyguard. First, if all becoming a bodyguard is not for everyone.  You must have great physical and mental fortitude to learn the trade and must be willing to sacrifice your time. After all, nothing worthwhile comes without a price. Don’t be fooled by mindless Hollywood fiction movies that portray the bodyguard profession in the worst possible way.  Even the 1992 classic “The Bodyguard”, starring the late Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner shows unethical bodyguard behavior. The bodyguard becomes romantically involved with his client. Real pros, who want to have long careers, never cross the ethical boundaries of the trade.

Hollywood Bodyguard Stereotypes

Hollywood bodyguard stereotypes are often a cross between gangsters and idiots. I once worked for Hollywood actor that fired bodyguards for not shaving and for dressing inappropriately. However, in one of his movies, my client played an ex-cop-turned-bodyguard. He appeared in the movie unshaven, trench coat wearing and bad-mannered. Exactly the type of bodyguard in real-life he would fire on-the-spot. Hollywood’s depiction of our trade is twisted and does not provide good learning experiences for those interested in becoming bodyguards.  A Bodyguard with a lack of mental capabilities or limitations would not make it in a real-life occupational role.

Bodyguards are Complex

Bodyguards in real-life have to be equally at home behind a book as they are behind a Glock. Bodyguards quietly practice and perfect their trade which includes countless hours of physical effort and mental study. These skills are necessary for success in the industry. Many bodyguards specialize in a particular area of proficiency. This includes advance work, point man, bodyguard-driver, detail leader, or medic. This gives them superior capabilities and significant work opportunities.

Bodyguards on more complex assignments absorb and retain large amounts of information.  This includes airport knowledge, ground handler familiarity, and motorcade assembly, obtaining a network of contacts at hotels, venues, restaurants and participating in joint operational planning with support personnel.  Lastly, a bodyguard must have deep pools of professional contacts they can call upon when required.  This takes mental intelligence, not a trade for the weak minded.

Bodyguards must be Strategic

A Bodyguard must be strategic and operational planners. They have to be widely acknowledgeable in many different activities to provide a valuable contribution. Bodyguards must have an understanding of the operational environment, the threat level and the political sensitivity of the areas they work in. This type of understanding provides a large measure of support for the team during operational tasks and enhanced protection for the client.

Regardless of the type of assignment, a bodyguard is on; corporate, Hollywood, diplomatic, religious, sports or the music industry he or she must have the physical and mental fortitude and be capable of avoiding and addressing potential threats. To do this you need to train for physical and mental strength. You must mitigate any weaknesses.  You are only as strong as your weakest link; maintain a strong mind in a strong body. This will improve your effectiveness as a bodyguard and greatly enhance your career. For more resources on becoming a bodyguard see links below.

Introduction to Celebrity Protection

Best Bodyguard School

This article was written by Doc Rogers 

Bodyguards

Executive Protection Agent Assignment Planning

Executive Protection Articles


Executive Protection Agent By Doc Rogers


Executive Protection Agent

Every day, executive protection agent teams around the world carry out assignments in the protection of their principals’.They perform their jobs with skill and passion to significantly reduce risks. The risks keep changing and we must keep one step ahead of these emerging threats by EP planning and action.

Executive Protection Agent
Working an advance

Advance work may be limited to a couple of days to conduct field assessments of principle venues, hotels, airports, responsible hospitals, safe havens and routes. When conducting your advance work duties to and from each destination on the principles’ schedule, run the routes at the same time, not on different days.



Executive Protection Agent Motorcade 

The motorcade is the most vulnerable part ofan EP assignment, so take a careful look at the routes. Analysis and setupprimary and alternate routes with the help of your local security driver,observe during your motorcade runs how well the local security follow-upvehicle is providing road security for the principle limo (screening andblocking traffic) to avoid delays, accidents and unnecessary stops,establishing safe routes for the limo.

Don’t take these motorcade rehearsalscasually, ensure that the local security drivers know the importance of therehearsal, how it gives the EP team an edge in providing smooth and safemovement for the principle from each destination. Do rehearsals on actions tobe taken in case of limo breakdown or accident, as well as reaction to be takenagainst motorcade threats or ambush.

Use motorcade rehearsals as an asymmetric advantage against asymmetrical threats. Don’t forget the smaller details; as well such as full fuel tanks, preventive maintenance checks, and services for the limo and the follow-up security vehicle. Study the situation and the routes, gear up, and move out. Keep safe and God speed.

Check out Doc Rogers the author of this article at: Lean how to be a bodyguard 

Bodyguard Education
Executive Protection Institute

3 Day Executive Protection Training Course

Announcements, Featured Articles

3 Day Executive Protection Training Course

Being Offered in Minneapolis, Minnesota

October 11-13 2018

 Limited Space Available

This three-day intermediate course is focused on techniques, tips, and methods for the solo executive protection agent (SOLO EPA).  Anyone who has attended a reputable executive protection school will tell you that while most formal training teaches team tactics, the reality is that for many executive protection professionals, the job is often a one-person-show.

The instructors for this course are highly trained in the field of executive protection, have trained at some of the top schools in the industry and have over 60 years of experience in the field.  And while they have worked in teams over the years, the vast majority of their professional careers have been as solo executive protection agents.  This is the course they wished they had taken when they were first starting out in the field – Sixty years worth of insider tips, tricks, and shortcuts for the SOLO EPA.

Why Should I Take this Course?

This is an intermediate course designed with the solo executive protection agent in mind.  While having a foundation in basic executive protection is a plus, it is not necessarily a requirement to get the most out of this course.  If you are working in the field of executive protection as a solo agent (or are planning to), you will benefit from this course whether you are a newbie with no previous training, a recent graduate of an executive protection school or a seasoned veteran.

What Will I learn?

Students in this course will learn how to efficiently manage the executive protection process for a celebrity or high net worth client when working alone.  This is a method course (not a theory course) so although there will be some time spent in the classroom, the vast majority of the course will be held outside the traditional classroom.

The course will specifically focus on providing solo protection for a client in the following venues:

  • Commercial and Private Airports
  • Hotels and Restaurants
  • Auditoriums, Theaters, Stadiums, and other Performance Places
  • Health Clubs and Spas
  • Golf Courses and Country Clubs
  • Casinos, Race Tracks, and Sporting Events

The student will learn first hand how to effectively and efficiently advance, secure and navigate with their client through the aforementioned venues without the assistance of other executive protection professionals.  The student will interact with local law enforcement, emergency medical personnel, international airport, and TSA personnel hotel management, venue security and many other professionals throughout the three-day course.  Students will also receive many helpful checklists, web links, mobile phone apps and a list of telephone numbers and contacts that make the job of the solo executive protection agent safer and easier and more efficient.

This is a real-world method course and many find it to be physically and mentally demanding.  The student should expect to spend long periods of time on their feet and in motion in various settings in and around the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area over the course of the three days.  The student will also participate in several, practical exercises and be graded on their performance.

A certificate of completion will be awarded at the end of the course.  The course is also eligible for 18 ASIS credit.

Tuition:  $995.00 with financing available

Dates:  October 11-13th 2018

The course format requires the total number of students be limited to 15 students.  Reserve your space now.

For more information or to register for the course, please contact us at 612 414-8920 or send an email to ebg@corporatepi.com.

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