The Need for Certification in Dignitary and Executive Protection

By: David L. Johnson, DABCHS, CHS-V 

 

 

For a guy who has spent the last 30 years providing dignitary and executive protection and training others to ply that trade, I’m just about as excited as I can be. Before I tell you what I’m excited about, let me provide you with some perspective. My profession is filled with people from all walks of life, and, like every profession, there are some very high quality professionals. And there are some folks who, for whatever reason, just don’t rise to that level. It is very difficult to tell the players apart without some kind of guide. I’ll share some statistics that I developed to illustrate the dilemma that employers and professionals in this field encounter. 

I once managed a contracted protective detail for the head of state in foreign country, and employees. Job vacancies had to be filled from time to time, and I began experiencing challenges in finding quality people, so I started keeping some statistics with my stubby pencil. Here’s what I found: I had to contact 32 people who had provided résumés expressing a desire to work overseas before I found one candidate who actually possessed a valid passport, was currently available, and was willing to take on the risk for the compensation that was being offered. Given that I desired to find at least three quality candidates for each open position, my search averaged out to 96 people being contacted for each one who was hired.

Then something else began to emerge: The skill level of some new hires wasn’t where we desired it to be. I was also getting indications that some resumes contained what might be politely called “embellishment.”

There had to be a way to streamline this process and find people with the right skill base. So my colleagues and I wrote an examination to screen candidates. The test was based upon the protective doctrine of the US State and Defense departments and contained 100 questions. We used a 70% score as the standard for successful candidates. My stubby pencil went back to work, and I again kept track of some statistics for this new process. For every 20 people I sent that exam to, one returned it. For every 20 tests that were returned, one passed it. That works out to about a 0.25% passing rate if my California public school math is in the ballpark.

This problem apparently became noted by the US State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, with the advent of its Worldwide Personal Protective Services (WPPS) contract. Minimum training standards and requirements to “certify” both instructors and operators under their requirements were established under that vehicle.

I have witnessed other related phenomena in this field: various “bodyguard certifications” have come and gone. One arose in 2008 when a group started advertising that they would provide “certification” for the reported fee of $500. A former employee used me as a reference and I received an e-mail from this group. It asked me five questions:

1. How do you know the above listed applicant?

2. Do you know the above listed applicant to be of strong character?

3. Are you willing to work with the above listed applicant again?

4. Would you consider allowing above listed applicant to be in a position of trust?

5. Can you think of any reason applicant should not be awarded certification as a Protective Detail Specialist?

I’m not sure about you, but that doesn’t seem to rise to the level of a professional certification to me.

So why am I excited? Because I’m working with The American Board for Certification in Homeland Security (ABCHS). We we are setting up a new board that will establish a credible certification process. We have been recruiting members who will form The American Board for Certification in Dignitary and Executive Protection. The response has been very enthusiastic!

We will be announcing the board membership soon. They have amassed an amazing 284 years of collective experience serving with a number of agencies, such as the United States Secret Service, the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security Services, The US Capitol Police, The US Army’s CID Protective Services Unit, private sector entities and non-governmental organizations! That mix of organization perspective and doctrinal approaches has never been achieved in this industry. It will lead to credible certification from a sound doctrinal approach! So stay tuned for more news on this very worthwhile endeavor!

Why am I so excited? Because for the first time in my career, this credible certification will solve the dilemma and provide both employers and professionals with a differentiating factor that can be relied upon!

Oh, there’s one more thing I can promise: There will be more than five questions on this examination!

In the January 2008 issue of US Airways Magazine Save My Career section author Donald Asher indicates his research into this topic “…finds that 10 (and in some fields 70!) percent or more of resumes contain substantive misstatements (that is lies).”

United Press International Freedom of Information Act Request, Document Number SAQMPDOFR1016 extract, Statement of Work Section C.4.3.2.1 Personal Protective Security Training (http://r.m.upi.com/other/12216818791223.pdf) 

David L. Johnson, DABCHS, CHS-V, is President of ITG Consultants, Inc., providing consulting, training and protective services. In 30 years of providing protective services, hehas coordinated presidential, Cabinet, ambassadorial, and senior executive level protective programs in threat environments including Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has managed contracts in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a member of the ABCHS Executive Advisory Board and chairman of The American Board for Certification in Dignitary and Executive Protection.