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Interview and Interrogation Tips

Featured Articles, Matthew Stiehm

By Matt Stiehm

Threat assessment, is part of any executive protection specialists job, but if the threat is not overt how can someone best protect their client whether in private or public.  While working in the field the executive protect specialist needs to be aware of everything.  But one area that most people cannot protect or guard against is there verbal and  non-verbal clues of deception.
Now for this article deception is clearly defined as someone hiding some piece of information.  It is the specialist’s job to determine what the person (target) is hiding.

In determining if someone is being truthful or deceptive the specialist needs to have a “baseline” of communication with the individual.  This baseline is common behaviors, or tendencies.  In the field you can pick up these tendencies rather quickly in a brief conversation with the target (potential threat).  In establishing the baseline just as simple as having “normal” chit-chat with the individual prior to asking “hard” questions, the hard question is the one in which the target could be deceptive.

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Four Bodyguard Contract Mistakes to Avoid

Doc Rogers, Featured Articles

Navigating the rough bodyguard waters and reaping in the rewards can be trickier than it seems. The following are five simple, but highly important mistakes to avoid when it comes to bodyguard contracts.

1. Contracts. Not having a contract drawn up by a lawyer for professional bodyguard services. Always obtain the services of a lawyer when making a bodyguard contract, don’t try to save money and do it yourself. It should spell out the exact services, personnel and equipment to be provided by you in the “Service Provision” section of the contract.

2. Client Responsibilities. Not having a “Client Responsibility” section in your contract. It should explain the client’s financial responsibility and work performance such as:

•    Roundtrip airfare to area of operation for all bodyguard personnel.
•    Suitable accommodation for all bodyguard personnel.
•    Client responsible for expense reimbursements relating to food, ground transportation and dry cleaning of clothing for all bodyguard personnel.
•    Client shall allow all bodyguard personnel to undertake their activities without hindrance.
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Automating Perimeter Protection for Executive Protection

Bruce Alexander, Featured Articles

By Bruce Alexander

There’s a a product on the market that merits serious consideration for planning and integrating physical security features into an Executive Protection Plan (EPP).

Lighthouse is an Israeli computer aided design (CAD) program that assists in planning and designing physical security perimeters. Lighthouse integrates digital terrain models, with aerial and satellite imagery, GIS technology, sensor specifications, engineering and environmental data, and thereby creates a 3D interactive representation of the perimeter. The program “helps users analyze the terrain, identify weak spots, define physical obstacles, propose location of obstacles, and analyze technological obstacles” before the actual sensors are implaced.

Used correctly, Lighthouse designs plans for a variety of sensors configured to the actual terrain as opposed to “force fitting” technology to the environment. What I like about the concept of Lighthouse is that it you can model how sensors will act or react in a given environment before you can actually position those sensors. This seems like a very cost effective and efficient way to design a physical security perimeter as opposed to placing sensors and then trying to determine whether those sensors are appropriate for the terrain and vulnerabilities later on.

I can see multiple applications where Lighthouse can assist in designing a security perimeter with EP applications. The most obvious application would be designing and integrating physical security measures for estates and executive residences with a significant surrounding land. Another application might be private aviation facilities or marinas. Of course, Lighthouse can also be used for corporate facility security planning where EP is a consideration or concern.

As I’ve said in previous posts, I’m a big proponent of using physical security measures to enhance Executive Protection.  Lighthouse might be one of those products worth considering for an EP application.

As usual with all of my product reviews, I have nothing to do with whatsoever with Lighthouse.

One Handed Shooting: An Executive Protection Tactical Must

Bruce Alexander, Featured Articles

By Bruce Alexander

Officer.com has an article by Steve Denney entitled “One-Handed Shooting; Another critical and neglected skill” with a very valid application to Executive Protection. One of the points Denney makes in his article is that sometimes you have to play the cards you’re dealt and if that means shooting with only one hand, so be it.

There’s plenty of situations in Executive Protection that shooting with one hand is a very real possibility, notably when you are trying to move your principal during an attack. In fact, you are far more likely to have to shoot with one hand in Executive Protection than most other situations.

If you are responsible for providing “body cover,” then instinctively you reach for your principal and start to move, if that’s an option. However, if you are on a small detail where there isn’t the option of leaving your principal to engage the threat, shooting while engaging and moving off the “X” with your principal in tow, might be your only choice. Like Steve Denney says the time to learn to shoot with one hand is not when the shooting starts.

Assessing Publicly Available Information and Executive Protection Implications

Bruce Alexander, Featured Articles

By Bruce Alexander

In a recent Rand study entitled Freedom and Information: Assessing Publicly Available Data Regarding U.S. Transportation Infrastructure Security, Rand researchers examined how publicly available data could be exploited by a terrorists to plan and conduct  terrorist attacks.

Using a “red-team”, the researchers conceptualized a series of notional terrorist attacks using the publicly available information to plan their attacks. The research revealed two major findings. First,red-team members were able to identify
information that, with some exceptions, proved useful for planning terrorist attacks (based on six different notional attack scenarios). Second,  publicly available information which might be useful to a potential terrorist varied
across information categories.

Detailed information about specific security procedures for the targets selected by the red-team was
the most difficult to find whereas general non specific information was readily available.

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The Trouble with Traveling

Bruce Alexander, Featured Articles

By Bruce Alexander

Contributed by Joe Hemmer and Steve Mann of Aviation Facilities Security Group

There’s an old adage that the trouble with traveling is that you have to come home. Not true. The trouble with traveling is luggage; and human luggage is the worst type.

The first thing you have to understand, when escorting a principal, is what your real situation is. Are you making the arrangements? Are you making all of them? Is there an Advance Agent or Administrative Assistant involved? Is corporate handling all of this? Who is taking you to the airport? Is there a luggage service? Who is meeting you and what are the ground transportation arrangements upon arrival?

Traveling is stressful enough but being responsible for you and a protectee is even more frustrating. It’s like flying with the kids … but on steroids. There are many potential pitfalls in air travel and having a protectee along increases the risks exponentially.

This is the first in a two part series dealing with executive protection and air travel. Part one addresses an issue that me and many of my security colleagues have faced concerning commercial air travel.

Do think VIP’s travel commercial? Mid-level politicians and celebrities love commercial travel. It provides both public exposure and a means of denying that they have lost touch with the “common-man.” It also complies with the Unites States Government’s travel requirements and it presents some additional challenges.

Once all the ground transportation, luggage and ticketing is taken care of, there is still the specter of what’s actually going to happen at the airport. This is where a little preparation and a lot of patience pays off and a good trip can make or break you in this profession.

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