- 15 minutes ago
We gathered bodyguards from across the private security industry to reveal what it’s really like protecting celebrities and other high-profile clients, and what their expertise can teach all of us about staying safe. These security professionals share how they spot threats before they turn into emergencies, defuse dangerous situations, and recognize the everyday safety mistakes that could be putting you at risk. From the moments when you're most vulnerable to the warning signs most people overlook, discover how a little situational awareness and easy changes to your routine could make all the difference.
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00:00Everybody that goes out with me knows, like, if we're sitting somewhere in public and I tell them, hey, get
00:04under the table now, that's not a time for questions, or hey, what's going on, start looking around, like, no,
00:10just get under the damn table because something's about to happen.
00:13I've been in the security field for over five years.
00:15Seven years.
00:1617 years.
00:1724 years.
00:18A lot of people will walk out of the gym maybe and have their earphones in or looking at their
00:22phone crossing the street.
00:24If you're not even, you know, paying attention to people that are walking by you on a daily basis, you
00:28got no prayer protecting yourself.
00:30It's a space where you're most vulnerable.
00:31At the end of the day, no one's coming to save you.
00:33The people that are coming might be too late.
00:35By the time they get there, potential problems are easy to spot once you know what you're looking for.
00:39Hands are where the threat comes from.
00:41You know, hands are what's going to hurt you.
00:42I see someone with hands in pockets, hands concealed inside a jacket.
00:45That's going to get my attention.
00:46We had a client that was actually going to be doing a meet and greet.
00:49You know, you would think bookstore, children's books, you know, there's going to be a lot of family, kids there
00:54and stuff.
00:55It's not going to be, you know, DEFCON 4.
00:58This client in particular was an actress, a well-known actress.
01:02This young man was coming in the line by himself, which that right there seemed a little odd.
01:10And his expression just seemed off.
01:11So it caught my eye.
01:13He wasn't part of the baseline audience that you would expect to show up at this type of event.
01:18So that made him stand out to us.
01:19You develop a baseline when you enter a room of the actions and everything taking place in that setting.
01:26Anything that would break out of that baseline would be something that I would pay close attention to.
01:31The individual walked up and got next to my client and immediately went into just a very quiet, you know,
01:40monologue to her.
01:41He put the fanatic in fan and then goes into his pocket, which immediately, you know, my hairs on my
01:46back popped up and, you know, I took a big step forward.
01:49He slid his hand out pretty slowly and he had a note in his hand.
01:52We typically try and set up a cue or a signal with the client anytime we're doing a public, you
01:56know, appearance.
01:57Make eye contact, rub the ear or, you know, grab the back of their neck.
02:01Something that I'm going to be looking for out of the client if they're getting to a point they feel
02:04uncomfortable.
02:05She went ahead and went for the ear and, you know, I stepped up, I grabbed the note from the
02:09client, you know, I very delicately, you know, sir, I'm sorry, I got to keep the line moving.
02:14You know, let me just, you know, have you move this way.
02:15And I escorted him away from my client.
02:18Situational awareness is being aware of your surroundings, especially in a transitional space.
02:23That's when most bad things or things can start happening.
02:26There involves movement, whether that's leaving your car into a grocery store or the gym, leaving your house into your
02:33vehicle.
02:34So it's a space where you're most vulnerable trying to get from A to B.
02:38So we were with a client.
02:39Client wanted to go to a certain place in New York City.
02:43Everything was routine.
02:43And then all of a sudden gunshots started instantly.
02:47It was, okay, safety.
02:49Where's my client?
02:50How fast can I get him into this vehicle?
02:52What is the first place of exit that we can get out of this situation?
02:56We had to leave the opposite direction.
02:58We were able to make a U-turn safely as I was hanging on to the side of the vehicle,
03:03making sure my client's door remained closed until two blocks away where I was able to get inside of the
03:09vehicle.
03:09It was a stressful situation, but in the executive protection world, you are trained to make sure you keep calm.
03:16If you're panicking, your client's going to panic.
03:20Your advance work is a big part of protecting your client.
03:24The advance is the planning.
03:25Planning is the main job that you need to do.
03:27You'll be briefed on exactly what their threats are, what their threat level is.
03:31Part of that is to do a route recon, know the trail that we will be going from start to
03:36finish.
03:36What's the primary itinerary?
03:39What's the secondary itinerary?
03:40What's the closest hospital?
03:42What's the pharmacy 24-7?
03:44What's behind every door?
03:45We always try to have at least two ways out, ideally three ways out of any situation if we can
03:51afford it.
03:52There's a way to do everything.
03:54There's a method.
03:55Planning a hotel recon.
03:57Get that card key for their room before the client even gets there.
04:01Make sure the advance team is there early enough.
04:04We're going to drop off on the strong side because that's where the restaurant is.
04:08Strong side would be the passenger side of the vehicle.
04:10Weak side is the driver's side of the vehicle.
04:12A lot of times we get next to no notice.
04:14You know, hey, we're landing in three hours.
04:16You know, who can you get me?
04:17Then I try and at least get that information on the fly.
04:20Now I'm going to be frantically texting from the front seat, you know, reaching out to my ops teams.
04:24And depending on what information I get back from them is going to decide, you know, my approach.
04:27There's a risk analysis that you need to do based on the risk.
04:31You rely on your advance, but when shit hits the fence, you need to know how to act.
04:37I can't go to a restaurant without having my back to the wall.
04:39I already know where all the exits are.
04:41I've got a, you know, a plan of action.
04:43Everybody that goes out with me knows, like, if we're sitting somewhere in public and I tell them, hey, get
04:47under the table now.
04:50That's not a time for questions or, hey, what's going on?
04:52Start looking around.
04:53Like, no, just get under the damn table because something's about to happen.
04:59People typically associate bodyguards with, you know, the big mean guy that walks from point A to point B and
05:05keeps you safe.
05:06But there's a lot more that goes into it.
05:08Everyone can be utilized in the security industry as long as you have a license, but there's tiers.
05:14So I wouldn't put someone maybe that is a bouncer on an executive protection unless they have the background and
05:22experience with it.
05:23There's no badge on your chest.
05:25There's no gun on your hip.
05:26Well, at least no exposed gun on your hip most of the time.
05:30So we were out and we were doing our recon of where we were going next from the hotel.
05:35Someone was standing stagnant with a book bag and had a couple phones out.
05:39After we did our recon, that individual was still there around the hotel.
05:43So to us, that's a red flag.
05:45He did look familiar.
05:46So we went back and we checked out our red list.
05:49He was indeed on that red list.
05:52I think I was in a plaid button down in some jeans and just like some regular tennis shoes.
05:56I was just trying to be very conversational, gather information.
05:59I even asked about his phone.
06:00Kind of if someone approached me and asked me the questions, I would pick up on it.
06:05But I don't think he was picking up on it.
06:07And I told him he needs to kind of beat feet, go another way.
06:10We were able to move the client safely, take a different route.
06:14And we never saw the individual again.
06:16Women are chameleons in the security industry.
06:20We are able to blend in.
06:22Do I want to look like a babysitter, but I can handle my own?
06:25Maybe I'm the secretary, I'm the security.
06:28And I can go where the men can't go when it comes to if there's a woman, such as the
06:32bathroom.
06:33We don't always look like we are security.
06:36We're wearing more casual clothes so that we can blend in with our surrounding.
06:40We do wear suits.
06:41Secret Service also wear suits.
06:43But they are usually the ones that are the tier closer to the primary or we are more so the
06:48outer shell.
06:49If I go to university and I need to make sure that people don't notice my presence, I will dress
06:55as a student.
06:55I will wear a hoodie and like a backpack.
06:59Once I had like a ball, a basketball in my hand.
07:02I was protecting someone and it was a girl at the university.
07:07But people didn't want to know that she was getting protection.
07:11You know, sometimes they'll want the guy that looks like he's the accountant walking around, but he's a jujitsu black
07:18belt.
07:18The size will book you the interview.
07:20The intuition and the intelligence is what gives you longevity.
07:26I won't say often, but here and there by situations where clients do want to, you know, put themselves into
07:32a dangerous situation, they may not have the foresight to see, you know, what we see.
07:39Obviously, they're not trained.
07:40They're not, you know, they don't know what they're looking for.
07:42Most of the time, unless it's a major security concern, what they want is going to trump what we suggest.
07:47We got to use a little inception and kind of make them think it's their idea, you know, when they're
07:52talking about, oh, yeah, I just want to go to Times Square because I just love it and things like
07:56that.
07:56Kind of redirect them and say, okay, yeah, let's go a little bit later or let's go when it's, you
08:00know, not as crowded.
08:01There's a rapper who told me I need two security guards, three security, a bodyguard.
08:06And I thought it was just, I'm just promoting my album.
08:09So we went to a podcast, like a famous podcast.
08:12And these guys start insulting all the street gangs.
08:15And I'm like, what are you doing?
08:18I'm sweating.
08:19So I asked for like a break.
08:21And I said, hey, if you don't change, I'm just going to leave you here.
08:25You told me you would promote your album.
08:26Now you're promoting hate against different parties.
08:29Tell me what you want to do, what you want to do.
08:33And I will tell you how.
08:35And I advised them what to do, what to not do too.
08:38So sometimes we'll say, I just get in the water naked.
08:41I said, no, don't do it.
08:42Or I'll kiss three girls.
08:44No, don't do it.
08:44Right?
08:45Because it's protecting your image.
08:47This is all part of the job, right?
08:49We're not there to dictate their life.
08:51They're their own person.
08:52We are there to serve and protect them.
08:54The client wants what the client wants.
08:55We have to provide the safest environment in whatever circumstance we do end up in.
08:59I need to protect you from yourself too.
09:03In the security industry, it's important that every professional has some sort of bag, satchel,
09:10backpack, something that they can easily access.
09:13And when I am carrying a firearm, this is always out.
09:18This is the full lease latch.
09:20And you're going to pull and be able to access it easily.
09:23Pens, markers, so forth for autographs.
09:27So in case people do not know, a blue marker means money.
09:30You ever see somebody coming up to your client with a blue marker?
09:33They're probably more than likely trying to sell whatever they're signing.
09:37A flashlight.
09:39This one is 2,000 lumens.
09:41Not only will this illuminate, but I can use it as a striking tool.
09:44We call it DNA catchers because just in case that individual gets away, there's usually
09:48some sort of DNA.
09:50So now we can identify that individual.
09:52I always have a Tide stick with me because you never know when someone's going to show
09:55up at a public appearance with a big spaghetti stain on their dresser.
09:59You can't have that.
10:00I'm also going to have snacks.
10:01Meats.
10:02So I have a client.
10:03He likes bubble gum.
10:05So I have like two kinds of gums.
10:06This is a lifesaver, so the battery charger.
10:09Being an executive protection is like being an all-purpose problem solver.
10:13There's a lot that goes into it that most people don't think about.
10:16One of the big controversies in our industry is, you know, carry the bag or not carry the
10:20bag.
10:21What I mean by that is, you know, when you're out inevitably shopping with a client, you
10:26know, and if maybe they don't have their, you know, executive assistant with them, all
10:31of a sudden they've got, you know, eight Gucci bags or what have you, you know, and they
10:35turn around to you and, hey, can you carry this?
10:37Do you carry the bag?
10:38Do you not carry the bag?
10:38You will handle the trolley.
10:40You will take it to grocery or something.
10:42Oh, go get this.
10:43You will get the coffee.
10:44Yes, I am going to carry the bag.
10:45I've also picked up after a dog, you know, and I have no problem with doing that.
10:51If you're not willing to carry the bag, somebody else is, and they're going to take that work
10:54from you.
10:57When I was in college, you know, I was gearing towards computer science and nothing really
11:02clicked for me.
11:03On a whim, I just happened to take an elective of a criminology course.
11:06And at that moment, I realized that the best place for me to fit and to serve was to put
11:13myself at the front line.
11:14I want it to be that line of defense for people who couldn't protect themselves.
11:19This field for me actually seems like a place where you could do a lot of good.
11:23The best part is when the client doesn't really know what's going on.
11:26You're able to diffuse a situation before it happens.
11:29My favorite part about the job is being a protector, being able to make a difference
11:36in someone else's life.
11:37Being able to be a protector is very rare.
11:40It's rewarding.
11:41It's what I'm meant to do.
11:42It's definitely my calling.
11:44And I'm lucky that I found the security industry where the security industry found me, I should
11:48say.