Online Newsletter – September 2004

EXECUTIVE PROTECTION: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU TRAVEL

By Ronald T. Williams, USSS Ret.

The global international business market place has shrunk. Rapid available transportation, off shore outsourcing, and the information age have increased business travel exponentially. In 2003 Americans made 6,000,000 business and personal trips out of the Continental United States, according to the Overseas Advisory Council (OSAC). Over 3.2 million Americans live abroad.

With the increase of travel, numerous threats confront American business executives, including the growing threat of Islamic Radical Fundamental Terrorism. For instance, Columbia, South America had over 5,000 kidnappings and 3,000 murders in 2002, the latest known statistics.  Executive protection strategies must be a mandatory requirement for those traveling abroad to mitigate danger based on the increase of threats and violence.

But how does a corporation or an individual go about the business of protecting themselves while traveling?  The protection of an executive is predicated on risk analysis of identified threats, budget constraints, and vulnerabilities to existing security. A quantification of the threat and the likelihood of a threat being realized are then analyzed to determine what protective measures should be considered.

The first step in establishing an effective Executive Protection program is the development of a threat assessment program, beginning with the creation of an executive profile. Habits, travel destinations, visibility, and notoriety must be considered, as well as the profile of the corporation. Sadly, some executives generate highly charged animosity and attention based solely on their type of business endeavors. For example, oil and gas executives have become major targets of kidnap in some countries while executives in the pharmaceutical industry have been targeted by animal rights activists. The profile must also consider prior threats as well as and any potential internal threats from disgruntled employees.

The second step in establishing an effective Executive Protection program is to obtain intelligence about the threat sources, the organizations, causes and individuals so the threats can be ranked. Some open sources for intelligence include the FBI Infragard program, the U.S. State Department Overseas Advisory Council (OSAC), the SITE Institute, and the Maritime Security Council.

Once intelligence has been gathered, a professional Executive Protection agent should review the individual and company profiles, assess the information gleaned from intelligence gathering, and prepare a threat assessment in order to design a protection strategy.

An advance protection agent should precede an executive on all trips nationally and internationally. On foreign trips the advance agent should interface with the Resident Security Officer at the American Embassy or Consulate to request assistance in selecting a hotel, routes of travel, and domestic armed protection officers. Those officers should be vetted by the State Department.  Additionally, protection agents should be trained in CPR, conducting advances, protection protocols, and emergency evacuation response.

Finally, emergency response plans must be developed in the event it becomes too dangerous for the trip to continue or an evacuation has to occur.

Some other precautions to consider are as follows:

• Embedded information chips can be placed under the skin for identification purposes

• DNA samples as well as finger prints should be on file for each protected executive.

• GPS systems should be considered for vehicles the protectee uses, especially in remote areas.

• Threats of violence and kidnap against business executives are not likely to dissipate. It is therefore imperative that companies and corporations create an effective plan to protect their key executives and obtain kidnap and ransom insurance policies.

• A security risk survey should be conducted to establish security measures at the corporation which would offer a recommended layered or tiered protection plan.

But security for executives does not end when travel is over.  All major corporations and high profile individuals should assess threats in their own back yards.  This begins with the residence. Talon recommends a digital video monitoring system of the outer perimeter with an integrated internal alarm system. For such a system to be effective, an armed response from either a local law enforcement agency or private security must be incorporated into the plan. The digital video monitoring system can be monitored on a 24/7 basis on-site, at corporate headquarters, or by a third party, interactive, electronic monitoring company.

Additional security measures to be considered:

• A safe room should be designed for the residence in the event an intrusion occurs. The executive and family must be trained on a proper response to occupy the safe room and what emergency response steps should be taken.

• A hospital survey should be conducted to determine emergency and trauma services as well as routes from the residence and office.

• A Crime demographics study for the residence and office will provide analysis for threat mitigation.

• Background checks should be completed on all employees, vendors, and contractors who come in contact with the proctectee and his/her family.

Although none of these measures will guarantee one hundred percent safety of business executives, a well developed safety program will lessen the likelihood of an event by hardening the target.  Don’t let kidnapping become a crime of opportunity.