In this week’s session of our video series, “Strong, Safe & True,” we are talking about private investigations. These types of investigations can be the key when dealing with a threat. Premier Risk Solutions has partnered with Private Investigator, C.W. Sellers on investigations that lead to peace of mind for executives and their families. However, to have a successful outcome requires the right team. Private Investigator, C.W. Sellers says there are several things that go into assembling the perfect crew for a job. That includes skillsets, experience, expertise, and a person’s ability to be a team player.
Then comes collaboration. When doing an investigation, it takes a lot of time and prep work. It could mean hours of surveillance, counter-surveillance, and compiling information. The right hand has to be in constant communication with the left hand. There are key things that have to be taken into consideration, like the environment of the investigation, the client’s needs, equipment needs, and personal needs. Sellers talks about this in detail as well as the preparation and execution of the job in the video link. Come back to Premier Risk Solutions for future blogs and videos!
It’s no secret that high-profile individuals attract highly skilled enemies. Traditional executive protection — black-suited bodyguards, conspicuous and observable — is no longer enough to protect against the more sophisticated plots targeting high-net-worth individuals and organizations. You’ll need layers of different kinds of security.
Protection for the CEO of a Silicon Valley tech company won’t be identical to that of celebrities or their children. The security detail for each will depend on several factors, such as threat level and situation. But one thing these plans might have in common is covert surveillance, also known as protective surveillance.
What is covert surveillance?
Covert surveillance consists of identifying potential threats to the client(s). This is done covertly, meaning that outside observers should not be able to tell that there is even an operation taking place. Covert agents are trained to blend into their environments, whether it’s a cafe, the streets, the workplace, or public event. (“Covert” is not to be confused with low-profile operations, which also feature plain-clothed agents but don’t disguise their presence as security.)
Covert executive protection teams monitor any and all potentially hostile elements in the principal’s surroundings. Advantages lay in not being noticed. For example, if covert protection officers are assigned to secure a big tech conference, these officers will circulate in and around the venue looking for potential threats, such as rogue drone operators. If the hostile actor doesn’t realize they’re being watched, they will take less care in covering their tracks, making it easier for covert agents to track and report these individuals to the proper authorities as well as curating proper risk mitigation strategies for the principal.
What is surveillance detection?
Surveillance detection is a component of covert surveillance. If you believe you might be the subject of hostile surveillance and/or a future attack, a surveillance detection team will first observe to confirm the hostile watchers and then gather basic information about them (location, appearance, actions, time, etc.).
This intelligence is passed on to a counter-surveillance team, which will essentially surveil the hostile surveillance. By following the hostile planners for longer periods of time, the counter-surveillance team can find out who they work for and collect evidence that could lead to arrest.
Despite its secretive nature, covert surveillance is not always superior to other forms of executive protection, such as overt or low-profile protection. At least, not in all situations.
For example, overt protection (the obvious presence of security) might be preferable as a visual deterrent when the principal is making a public appearance. The mere presence of protection often makes others think twice about attacking.
Covert operations, on the other hand, provide no such protection through appearance. Instead, it’s reactive — dependent on actions already taken by a hostile actor. However, there are clear advantages to covert security. If hostile individuals cannot observe your security measures, they cannot plan for them. Thus, the element of secrecy allows you to maintain a tactical advantage.
Some environments, like many Silicon Valley headquarters, require protection but don’t want it to be felt or noticed. This is another situation where covert surveillance comes in handy — it relaxes the atmosphere without relaxing security.
Different situations call for different kinds of protection — or even some combination of covert and overt surveillance. Indeed, overt and covert surveillance often work hand in hand to provide the most thorough coverage.
“What keeps you up at night?” When top-level executives of most successful US-based companies are asked this question, the answer is invariably centered around the wholeness, soundness, and performance of the business; around the business integrity of the company. Modern criminalistics practices and technologies can safeguard the integrity of your Seattle business.
While cyber hacking is an ever-present threat, its only one thin band in the wide spectrum of threats that can befall any company. Threats may come in the form of:
Fraud, embezzlement, diversion
Employee raiding (enticement to gain intellectual property by reverse engineering)
Extortion, coercion, blackmail
Elicitation (gaining proprietary information via subterfuge and implicitly)
Solicitation (gaining proprietary information via recruitment of confederate internal ‘moles’)
Conflict of interest (co-opting internal help to break of non-compete and non-disclosure agreements
Stealing intellectual property such as formulas, databases, algorithms, customer lists and/or budget plans using various types of espionage techniques
Due to the slowing global economy and the rising friction between national trading partners competing in the global marketplace, the frequency and severity of attacks is ramping up. Whether copying entire segments of your business to replace you in the marketplace, or attacking your reputation and brand to pull your company down, attackers are working to take unfair advantage.
A Look at Attack Vectors
Attackers are:
Purposeful – attacking you to achieve a goal
Powerful – whether a company, state-owned enterprise, or agent of a foreign nation, attackers are often well financed with a clear mandate to ruin you
Partially Inside – attacks are almost always made with the help of internal management or staff
Relentless – Almost never attacking just once, but maintaining a steady campaign until the demise of your company or division is achieved
Not deterred by conventional legal remedies or punishments used by most US based firms when confronted with such a situation
Full Criminalistics and Private Security Contracting Solution
Having helped other companies that have been attacked, we know the methods and procedures of engagement used by modern attackers. With a complete risk assessment and deployment of measures to ensure your business continuity, we can help you stop attackers before any damage is done. If you suspect or are troubled by certain things you’re seeing in your business, let’s talk. Premier Risk Solutions knows this terrain very well and uses the very latest in criminalistics to determine criminal profiles and provide real-world solutions.
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Managing fear is imperative when navigating a stressful or potentially volatile situation. Our series, “Strong, Safe & True” continues this week with Doug Hicks, a security specialist with Premier Risk Solutions. Hicks talks to us about recognizing fear, managing it, and safely reacting.
In this video, we learn how to define the different types of fear, we learn how it affects us and things we can do to control it. Once you can control it, you can observe, figure out what the opportunities are, and then make the best choice for your safety or someone else’s. Hicks says the last thing you want to do is fall victim to the 4 f’s. Flight, flight, freeze and forget. That means you get scared, you freeze and you forget things you’ve been told or taught. There are actual physiological responses fear causes. You can actually lose motor skills, blood flow can be restricted and your heart rate shoots up. The good news is, through proper practice and training, you can gain control over these things that potentially paralyze.
Check out the video for more on this topic and continue to visit www.premierrisksolutions.com for more video sessions!
It’s safe to say, society as a whole has experienced heightened anxiety over the last year. We have collectively been through a pandemic, watched riots & protests break out, and dealt with a tense political scene. It can take a toll on anyone’s mental health and that includes security personnel. Behavioral psychologist Michael Corcoran says now more than ever, it’s a good idea to check in with not only the people providing security but also the employers hiring them. The goal is to make sure everyone is in a mentally healthy space to be on point.
Corcoran reminds us of the old adage, proper preparation prevents poor performance. It is imperative security companies and employers of security personnel provide proper training.
At Premier Risk Solutions we frequently check in with our employees. We want to make sure they feel protected while protecting your company, employees, or assets. For more on this topic, please watch our latest session of “Strong, Safe & True.”
