What is “Protective Intelligence?”
To the security intelligence analyst plugging away in a 24-hour operations center, protective intelligence is one thing. To the security consultant with an MA or MS in psychology, protective intelligence means something else.And to the United States Department of Justice or the U.S. Secret Service, it takes on another meaning. While the term protective intelligence…
Read MoreAn Effective Protective Intelligence Investigation: Unraveling the Michigan Plot
Protection personnel rarely see a roadmap into a plot to kidnap or kill. The aspirational plot to kidnap the governors of Michigan and Virginia shed light on pre-operational activities that are instructive for protection personnel. While many plots are disrupted by law enforcement authorities, protection professionals must use the lessons learned in these cases to…
Read MoreBrad Thor on Why Protection Officers Should Read Fiction
Sometimes it takes telling a stranger about a goal to make yourself accountable to follow through. For many, this will translate into the last time you trained for a 5K or marathon. For a very select few, it means committing to a career as a writer that will progress into being a New York Times…
Read MoreHow to Identify Those Who Pose a Threat From Those Who Make a Threat
Searching for threats that are made with violent intent from the thousands of threats that are made every day can often amount to searching for a needle in a haystack. Limited resources mean that threat assessors must be able to identify the factors and warning signs of a potentially serious risk without escalating non-threatening concerns.…
Read MoreThe Case Files: Gabrielle Dee Giffords, Former U.S. Representative
In this blog series, we explore historical events to teach us what pre-incident indicators were present to decrease the chance of bad things from happening in the future. History tells us that there is no detail too small, as even the slightest move off-center can set off an unfortunate domino effect. Within this Case File,…
Read MoreSeeing Around Corners with Walmart’s Former General Counsel
In this episode In this episode, Fred sits down with Tom Mars, Former General Counsel of Walmart and Ontic Advisory Board Member, to discuss the critical relationship between corporate security and legal functions in reducing company liability. Tom reflects on his time at Walmart, emphasizing the importance of breaking down silos and fostering open communication…
Read MoreWrong Place Wrong Time: Protective Intelligence While Working Overseas
Understanding global protective intelligence risks is essential to understanding your overall global threat assessment. Knowing who may be “dragging” a threat to your meeting is critical. Nation-State intelligence services exist to steal secrets — even yours. It’s no secret that the world is a dangerous place. Organizations with international operations and executives traveling abroad face…
Read MoreHow the Kidnapping of Exxon’s President Forever Changed Executive Protection
In this episode Even in the safest suburbs, high net worth individuals face heightened risks, as exemplified by the 1992 kidnapping of Sidney Reso, President of Exxon International. In this episode, Fred interviews author Philip Jett to uncover the harrowing details of Reso’s abduction, the $18 million ransom demand, and the two-month investigation that followed.…
Read MoreImplications of Domestic Violence for Corporate Security in the COVID-19 Era
Domestic violence is becoming a growing concern for corporations as more and more employees work remotely. According to several research studies (including In Homeland Security, 2020), domestic violence is thought to have increased by 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic. This statistic not only impacts family relationships but extends to social networks and economic success within…
Read MoreThe Fifth Third Bank Shooting and the Rise of Whitney/Strong
What goes through your mind, and what would you do if you walk into an active shooter situation as you enter the building where you work? Was there anything you saw that could have helped you understand or avoid the situation? How do you receive help or escape without putting yourself at greater risk? In…
Read MoreStalking in the Workplace
Terminations & Layoffs: Understanding & Preparing for Ex-Employee Backlash
Threat fatigue has become the norm. Planning and coordination are key to job actions. What is your duty of care? Some employees can come back with a vengeance. What key considerations should stakeholders make during the process? Violence in society and the workplace has become so common that it becomes a blur for many, creating…
Read MoreUnderstanding the Hostile Planning Process to Establish a More Powerful Security Position
In this episode, Fred and Ami Toben discuss the hostile planning process and how to isolate and target vulnerabilities in order to prevent it from getting to the execution phase. They also discuss the finer points of detection and observation as well as the available training from HighCom Security including hostile activity prevention, executive protection,…
Read MoreCognitive Traps and the Mindset of a Successful Protective Intelligence Analyst
In this episode In this episode, Fred and Carmen discuss what it takes to build an Intelligence program and what she looks for in an Analyst. Carmen shares her stories of dealing with leaders, falling into cognitive traps and what it means when we sometimes ‘get it wrong’. Carmen Medina is a thirty two year…
Read MoreExecutive Protection: The Fear of Kidnappings
From a historical perspective, the perception of the kidnapping threat has driven the creation of many, if not most private executive protection teams. Threat of kidnappings is very low for high-net worth families and CEO’s in the United States. Notorious kidnapping cases helped shape the public perception of the need for protection for the rich…
Read MoreHow to Recruit and Select a Protective Intelligence Analyst
There are many considerations to keep in mind when looking to hire a protective intelligence analyst to support your corporate security operations. In our experience, the security industry (excluding infosec) generally offers a hiring manager limited standards by which to judge a candidate’s competence. This is doubly true for managers seeking to hire a protective…
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