How to Hire a Bodyguard
"Bodyguard" has become a "Hollywood-ized" term and is probably not what you want.
The vocational name is "Executive Protection" or "Personal Security" and specialists
are not hard to find. Follow these instructions to ensure you're getting someone truly
qualified to protect another person's life and well-being.
Steps
1.
Understand that "Personal Security" is a professional service, so keep your
expectations realistic. As the core component of PROTECTIVE SERVICES,
Personal Security is divided among several specialties focused on the type of person
being protected. Individuals trained to handle corporate executives, politicians,
dignitaries and high net-value families fall under "Executive Protection" or "EP" in
contrast with those trained to handle Celebrities, Actors, Musicians, Professional
Athletes and other high-profile, public individuals are commonly referred to as "Talent
Security". All qualified Practitioners are driven to be visibly low profile and are
capable of adapting to and remaining as unobtrusive to your lifestyle as possible.
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2.
2
As, unlike the United Kingdom, there are no national civilian training standards
for this profession in the US or Canada, there are several titles a Practitioner
may use: Executive Protection, Protective Services, Personal Protection orPersonal
Security.
3.
Like the Secret Service, the best individuals are proactive, clean cut, intelligent,
articulate, educated professionals that are trained to PREVENT a threat to your
welfare. Contrast these specialists with the stereotypical 400-pound thugs working
for Britney Spears or Madonna. These "bodyguards" are only able to REACT to a
threat and are usually working as bouncers or bounty hunters and "sidelining" as a
Bodyguard and generally lack the specialized training.
4.
4
Look on the Internet for your states private security company
regulations.Learn the name of the required license for Bodyguard or Personal
Protection Officer or something closely related. The candidates will need this license
in order to work for you. That said, do not assume that a "Bodyguard" license from
any state is in and of itself a good indicator of their abilities. The majority of states
have no requirements other than a Concealed Handgun License, a few have very
stringent training requirements and the rest have appallingly low training
requirements that meet no professionally recognized minimum training standards.
These licenses have names like Personal Protection Officer (PPO) or Personal
Protection Specialist (PPS) and are probably required for the individual to work for
you but most are acquired with very little training that anyone can get if they have a
"Security Guard" license and $100 to pay for a "Bodyguard" course.
5.
5
Ensure your candidates are graduates of a Government Protective Services
course from the;
United States Secret Service (Special Agent versus Uniformed
o
Division))
o
US State Department's Diplomatic Security Service
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)
US Army Military Police School's Protective Services Training Course
US Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID)
US Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)
US Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI)
or graduates from one of the few, internationally recognized and respected, civilian
executive protection schools in the US like;
Executive Security International(ESI)in Colorado
Executive Protection Institute in Virginia
R.L. Oatman & Associates in Maryland
National Protective Services Institute in Texas
Gavin de Becker & Associates in California
The former Vance International in Virginia
International Training Group in California
Texas A&M University's TEEX in Texas
US Training Center in North Carolina
Executive Protection International in Massachusetts.
There is also a University that specializes in Personal Protection
Management and offers Bachelors, Master's and Doctorate level Degrees (see
Henley-Putnam University)
If a candidate attended a school not listed above, ensure that the
instructors openly identify themselves, have extensive experience (10+ years) in
Government Protective Services or a civilian equivalent and that the course was a
MINIMUM of 100 hours of formal personal security training.
As a second choice, consider Executive Protection/Protective
Services/Corporate Security personnel from Fortune 500 corporations like Microsoft,
Dell, Boeing, IBM, etc., with direct (not limited or collateral) experience.
6
Just because someone has been in the military, law enforcement or has
worked overseas on a Protective Services Detail (PSD) DOES NOT mean they
have the right mind-set, training or skill-sets to perform Personal Security
within the United States.
o
If a candidate claims to have been a member of a US military Special
Operations Force, like Army Special Forces "Green Beret", US Army Ranger,Navy
SEAL, Air Force Combat Controller, Marine Corps Special Operations (MARSOC),
etc., ask them to provide you an ORIGINAL copy of their DD214. This document is
issued to all former military service members and will give you the names of schools
they graduated from and their professional character while in the service. If they claim
their background is "Classified", they are lying to you. The only thing actually
classified about their military background would be missions they took part in.
7
Get a photocopy of the applicants drivers license, Social Security card and
copies of any professional certificates.
8
Conduct a background check on the web and pay for a simple criminal history
check.
9
Have every candidate sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (available for free on
the Internet) before discussing your needs or personal information.
10
Look for specific experience, and ask for examples of how the candidate has
demonstrated proficiency in skills including, but not limited to:
o
Choreography (knowing how to stand, walk and get in and out of a car
with a Protectee)
Conducting advance work to prepare for trips and events ahead of time
Effective countermeasures to deal with an attack or security threat if
one materializes
Knowledge of physical security and access control systems
Formal training in specialized driving skills, and
Extensive Firearms and Defensive Tactics or martial arts training
11
Ask the candidate about "big name" people s/he has protected. If s/he gives you
a list of names, those names would likely be okay and can most often be verified by
contacting the company, government office or a celebrity's agent or representative.
However if a candidate starts revealing personal information it is possible that they
are violating non-disclosure and confidentiality statements they agreed to. At the
same time, do not accept the response, "I can't tell you for reasons of privacy." Good
bodyguards are very careful about divulging information about former clients or
protects, and will find a way for you to verify their claims without violating
confidentiality agreements.
12
Specialized driving skills are generally considered a sub-specialty within
Personal Security and are commonly known as Evasive and/or Counterambush Driving, that few Personal Security practitioners have formal, in-depth
training in. Again, there are very few recognized and respected schools in the US
that teach these skills;
o
Scotti School of Defensive Driving (SSDD)
Bill Scott Raceways (BSR)
Vehicle Dynamics Institute
Bob Bondurant School of Performance Driving
Crossroads Training Academy
Advanced Driving & Security Inc. (ADSI)
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center's Vehicle Ambush
Countermeasures Training Program (VACTP).
