Anyone can become a victim of an ambush, be it a robbery, carjacking, or straight up assault.  If we work in or travel through hostile environments (war zones, insurgent areas, high crime neighborhoods) we need to utilize some specific skills to prevent or survive an ambush.  In the protective operations world, these are sometimes referred to as Protective Intelligence (PI) skills while in other security disciplines they are known as situational and tactical awareness skills. 

The article,  “Mark Zuckerberg’s SF security detail under siege,” from the San Francisco Chronicle (click here to read it) was widely circulated throughout Social Media. The article elicited lots of response from the close protection community.

ISDA member Mike Spearman’s shares his thoughts

Since the route the intended victim takes is so critical to the targeting process, a vehicle ambush countermeasures program must include thorough route planning and analysis. Unfortunately, experience, lack of time, and sudden changes to the protectee’s schedule all contribute to route planning and analysis being neglected.

A while back I got this message from ISDA Member Glen Edmunds From Glen: “An interesting read and a lot can be learned from “reading…

February 07th 2017 a rolling gunfight among Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) factions occurred in Villa Juarez, Navolato, Sinaloa Mexico. This is a PowerPoint presentation of the event created by ISDA Member Gerardo Corona.

I recently had the pleasure to address the attendees of the 2016 Close Protection Conference in Las Vegas. The conference was organized and hosted by…

“Someone asked me today why I share other companies training courses, services or articles since most of them are my ”competitors”?

This question and the rationale behind the question got me thinking. First of all, those who are connected with me on social platforms are mostly people I highly respect and admire their work.

Security professionals, freshmen and seasoned, often inquire about the difference between domestic executive protection (EP) and how it contrasts or compares with international / high-threat executive protection. My intent with this blog post is to provide my opinion regarding the differences between the two as well as my views regarding the screening, vetting, selection, hiring, and training of both.

I cannot emphasize enough that this article is simply my views and may not be the same views of others within the industry. I am basing the contents of this blog post on my own international experience as a U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Services contractor, my domestic experience with federal law enforcement organizations and the U.S. Department of Defense, and my background as a security consultant and instructor in the private sector. These views are mine alone. It’s OK if you disagree.

As a corporate protection driver for a global company, “constant readiness” is paramount. Whether it involves multiple itinerary changes, traffic and weather, a disabled vehicle, street threat or a medical emergency, a corporate protection driver relies on experience, training, and resources to successfully manage these and other events, occurring solely or in concert. It’s all part of making a challenging and rewarding job look easy.

Straight talk about the realities of working in this slice of the profession –ISDA Member and ICON CEO Elijah Shaw covers the opportunities found in the Tour Security slice of the Celebrity & VIP Protection pie.
In this short video Elijah shares his decades of knowledge base acquired from working all aspects of the profession.

“What if” every potential scenario. The first element in the tactical triage is the mindset. Have a plan for all contingencies. Plan for the worst-case…

By and large people do not understand marketing or how it works and the vast majority of people in the security industry most certainly do not understand marketing.

I know it’s a sweeping statement, but it just happens to be true and it’s a subject Tony Scotti and I have discussed at length many times over the years.

By Matthew Parker I have read many an article on executive protection (EP) training and job placement over the years. Some I agree with and…

Social media put plainly and simply is public conversations within established networks. These networks are made up of your friends, peers, colleagues, clients and potential clients. These networks or channels have various names such as Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, LinkedIn etc. Each is unique and useful in varying degrees to executive protection and security businesses.

Here are my top 5 reasons why your EP/Security Business needs a social media strategy:

Glen Edmunds, using the Science of Riding, has designed and manufactured the Anti-Crash Rider Training Aid (ACRTA) motorcycle. The ACRTA is used for on road and off road training in the Glen Edmunds Advanced Driving program. The catalyst for the design and development of the ACRTA are the environmental conditions under which Glen conducts his training. Much of the Glen’s training happens in remote areas where the tarmac is at a premium, these areas normally have a bush airstrip of a football pitch.