Every private agent or member of law enforcement assigned to close protection duties has to start somewhere. There is always that initial introduction to the responsibilities and challenges that come with the job.
How an agent receives that initial introduction unsurprisingly is of great importance to many regulatory agencies and training centers. For Independent Security Advisors students it comes in the form of EPO 100: Essentials of Executive Protection (Introduction or fundamentals of EP)
Mandated training with the US Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Protective Service Operations Training Program, this training is also required under the Virginia Dept. of Criminal Justice 32E Personal Protection Specialist program, and the North Carolina PPSB training requirements for a personal protection license.
So at both a federal and state level, it’s been determined every agent regardless of private sector or law enforcement, they should receive an introduction to EP course.
Description: The EPO 100: Essentials of Executive Protection (Introduction or fundamentals of EP) course examines the broad concepts, mission, objectives, and organizations within protective services, as well as the “administrative requirements” for an agent to serve on a protective service detail or within a protective organization.
Special emphasis is placed on the HR policies of recruiting, training, and retention of personnel, the individual agent’s responsibilities and duties, and the operations/functions of different sections and departments within the detail.
Learning Outcomes: At the end of this class, a student will demonstrate an understanding of their responsibilities and duties as an agent and the different types and organizations they may work as part of a protective detail.
Students will understand the current training and educational requirements for an agent to successfully serve within a protective organization.
The learning objectives that students will demonstrate upon completion of this class are as follows:
Employers thoughts:
The importance of this class is not lost on most employers as you will often see in a job posting “Candidate must have completed a certified or recognized executive protection training program”. There are few opportunities for “entry-level” agents today, so please ensure your training course isn’t all flash and lacks substance.
For an officer being assigned to an elected official detail knowing exactly what your role and responsibilities are is critical to your success. More importantly, understanding what the protectee thinks your role is, and clearing up any misunderstandings from the beginning goes a long way to establishing a good level of interpersonal communication with all involved.
This class is meant to dispel the glorified Hollywood perception of an agent and make clear to the student the working conditions and situations they may find themselves in, as well as the education and training required to deal with these situations.
Understand why you’re doing it and for whom
Have no illusions what the daily grind of a detail can be, long hours, bad weather, poor diet, little rest, high stress, constant changes to schedules. Understand how they are organized, resources and operational abilities. Know the different types and jurisdictions of various protective details and organizations