Executive Protection Archives - Page 3 of 6

Your Network Starts With the NLA

One of the FANTASTIC benefits of being a NLA Member is the immediate Network that comes with it.

It’s VERY interesting to me how this Networking article came to pass. “How?” you ask. Well, let me tell you…

One of our Cat brothers reached out to me asking if I’d be interested in writing an article about the benefits of Networking. As you might guess, I was all about it! But the ironic part of it is that we met, Networking, through an event I hosted back in August 2021. And at least part of the reason he was there was because of his affiliation with EPI and being a Nine Lives Associate. I am, of course, talking about Greg Schnell!

Advice for finding work in Executive Protection

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of mentorships for current and retired law enforcement officers looking to transition into private sector executive protection roles. This is primarily due to my position as the head of the Law Enforcement/Military Liaison committee in the ASIS Executive Protection Community, of which our very own Jerry Heying is the Chair of that community. Also, it’s because I’ve made that transition myself. After spending almost 27 years working for the California Highway Patrol, I was lucky enough to retire and almost immediately find a job as a corporate executive protection manager. A lot of my former colleagues, nearing retirement, reach out to me for advice, which I happily do. I do it for LEO, Military, my fellow NLA members, or any decent person that is considering this line of work. We need good people in this business.

Here’s the advice I share. I believe it’s universally applicable to all candidates, not just LEO or Military.

Find Your Way

I always wanted to be a policeman (law enforcement officer was not even a title back then). I had all the cop toys and guns, watched all the cop tv shows, played cops and robbers with my friends. I never wavered. Never wanted to be anything else. All that changed on November 22, 1963.

I was 7. The whole world changed that day. Our President had been assassinated. I watched every one of the 3 or 4 tv stations we had back then flipped the channels by hand. I was devastated and fascinated by the whole thing. I learned what a Secret Service agent was and what they did and decided that was the kind of cop I wanted to be. I knew they were cops because their cars had red lights.

Mindset is Everything

Starting with a personal experience that changed how I look at networking and building your resume. I took a volunteer assignment back in 2010 with Black Ice Security in the Virginia area. They have been supporting the GI Film Festival for years providing volunteer pro bono EP support. I was working in the Indiana area for a Healthcare company and had wrapped up and headed to Washington DC to support the Film Festival. People were like you drove from where! Shortly after that detail I was asked to provide support for worst environmental disaster our country has ever seen. When they asked for additional staffing support for that detail and if I knew anyone who would be good guess where I went? I asked 2 agents from the pro bono detail I had just worked. Both agents were assigned to that team for almost 2 years. Working that pro bono assignment changed how I look at everything in my field today when it comes to developing your network.