Here is the latest from the Brittney Spears Protection Team: 1 On March 28th, 2006, three bodyguards filed a lawsuit against Brittney Spears alleging that she was in violation of labor board laws, including that they did not receive their final paychecks within the statutory time frame after termination, that they did not receive overtime pay or double time pay, and that they did not receive a 30-minute meal break, and the two ten-minute breaks required during an eight hour shift.   2  A video posted on TMZ’s Website on April 9, 2007, shows two Spears bodyguards outside a store on Robertson Blvd. in Beverly Hills pushing the crowd back and saying, “Start moving or get pushed!”   3 On July 26, 2007 at 11:30 a.m., as Spears and two bodyguards were leaving the spa at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, two photographers were moving closer to shots of Ms. Spears.  Inexplicably, one of the bodyguards attacked one of the photographers from behind.  Immediately after the attack, Ms. Spears ran toward the other photographer and attempted to physically attack him but was stopped by Wynn Hotel security. Ms. Spears began to yell at the photographer, “I am going to kill you!  I am going to f- ing kill you!”  Ms. Spears told the photographer that he should get a restraining order against her because she was going to kill him and if she wasn’t able to kill him she would hire someone that would.  The Las Vegas Police were called and the bodyguard was cited for a misdemeanor battery.  No other citations or arrests were made.

Is This Good Executive Protection?

This type of protection occurs frequently in Hollywood.  Why?  Most of the security officers that work celebrity protection are untrained thugs who think that their role is to push their way through a crowd, intimidate people, or fight when necessary.  As support for this point, how often do you hear about the U. S. Secret Service providing this style of protection, or of any of their agents getting in any kind of a fight as it relates to their principal, the President of the United States?  Never!  Which type of protection do you want?  Do you want an untrained bodyguard -- a thug -- or do you want a well-trained executive protection agent?

Three More Things to Consider

1. Training

Whatever your background or however you get into the field of security you must have the proper training.  Whether you are a former police officer, a former FBI Agent, an accomplished martial artist, or an ex-military Special Forces, these backgrounds, while impressive, do not supply the training required to be an executive protection agent.  There are accredited executive protection schools that provide the foundation and principals of U.S. Secret Service protection.  In these schools, prospective executive protection agents are taught that if you have to fight you have already lost, and so has your client.  They are taught that the proper way, when confronted with danger, is to “cover and evacuate” their client.  In addition, advance work is done on a daily basis and all movements are planned so, in the case of Ms. Spears, you can avoid the paparazzi, particularly if your client does not want photographs taken.  Most importantly, and this cannot be stressed enough, the executive protection agent must have CPR/First Aid/AED training.  The odds are three to one that a “medical emergency” will occur versus an “attack on your principle”  A well-trained executive protection agent has about 600 hours of training from an executive protection academy, as opposed to a police academy.  There is a difference in these academies, a difference in the graduates, and the difference is absolutely critical!

2. Liability

Every time an untrained bodyguard physically pushes someone or fights someone, the client may be sued.  In addition the bodyguard could be arrested.  Are the bodyguards properly licensed in the state in which they are working?  They absolutely must be!  Is the company licensed in the state?  Does it have liability insurance and workman’s compensation insurance?  We recommend they have at least 5 million armed liability insurance and workman’s compensation.  Who will make sure they have the proper licensing?  Who will pay the attorneys’s fees if things go south?  We recommend that celebrities hire a professional security company.  If they hire a professional company, the celebrity insulates him or herself from liability and other issues -- because the security company is now responsible for ensuring each executive protection agent has the proper licensing and training, the company meets all relevant labor board standards, and the company holds sufficient insurance to indemnify a client, if necessary.

3. Confidentiality Agreements

We have all heard horror stories of bodyguards or other personal service employees selling information about their clients, such as photographs or videos to the media.  It happens all the time -- most recently, you may recall, with regard to the extortion of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’s by a party that got a hold of their private wedding photos.  If you have untrained and unprofessional security working for you, this will happen and it is only a matter of time.  Each executive protection agent must be put through a thorough background check, drug-tested, and must pass a physical fitness test before being employed.  This is a huge advantage for the client because they will not need to manage these employees -- the security company is responsible for doing that.  If a confidential agreement is broken, a professional security company will have their attorneys protect the client by making sure the agreement is strictly enforced.

This article was authored by The World Protection Group, Inc., a Los Angeles-based global provider of executive protection & threat management, uniformed protective service, security consulting and asset protection.  To learn more about WPG, please contact Craig Chamberlain, V.P. of Sales & Marketing at +1-(310)550-4319 or by email at cchamberlain@theworldprotectiongroup.com.

For more information, please send your e-mails to swm@infothe.com.

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