Spencer Coursen's Blog
December 8, 2024
Top 10 Things to Look For in an Executive Protection Security Leader
When hiring an executive protection (EP) or security leader, particularly in light of high-profile incidents like the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, corporations must approach the selection process with precision, ensuring they identify candidates who can effectively safeguard their leaders and assets. Here’s a comprehensive guide:
Top Ten Things To Consider Before Hiring Your Next Executive Protection Security Leader
1. Proven Experience in Executive Protection
• A minimum of 10 years in executive protection, with experience managing high-profile clients or C-suite executives.
• Experience in diverse environments, including corporate, domestic, international, and high-risk zones.
2. Strong Threat Assessment and Management Skills
• Expertise in identifying, evaluating, and mitigating threats through advanced risk analysis methods.
• Knowledge of emerging threats, including cybersecurity risks.
3. Leadership and Team Management
• Demonstrated success in building and leading EP teams, including training personnel and managing multidisciplinary security initiatives.
4. Crisis Management and Emergency Planning
• Experience creating and executing crisis response protocols for scenarios such as active shooters, medical emergencies, or natural disasters.
5. Industry Certifications
• If the candidate does not have a military or government services experience, those candidates who only have private sector experience should have certifications from an accredited and recognized security body like ASIS — Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Physical Security Professional (PSP), Personal Security Specialist (PSS), or similar recognized credentials.
6. Law Enforcement or Military Background
• A background in law enforcement, military special operations, or intelligence services, coupled with a successful transition into the private sector.
7. Discreet, Adaptable, and Client-Focused
• The ability to operate with discretion, maintain confidentiality, and adapt to the principal’s preferences and requirements.
8. Strong Network and Intelligence Capabilities
• Access to a robust professional network for real-time intelligence gathering and collaborative threat mitigation.
9. Cultural Competence and International Expertise
• Familiarity with diverse cultures, international laws, and geopolitical risks, ensuring seamless operations worldwide.
10. Proven Track Record of Success
• Verifiable accomplishments, such as thwarting threats, improving organizational security frameworks, and enhancing principal safety.
Ideal Credentials
• Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, homeland security, or a related field (master’s degree preferred).
• Certifications: CPP, PSP, Certified Threat Manager (CTM), or equivalent.
• Advanced medical training, such as EMT or TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care).
• Foreign language proficiency (beneficial for international assignments).
• Extensive training in defensive driving, firearms, and de-escalation techniques.
Key Questions to Ask During the Interview
1. Experience and Background
• “Can you walk us through your most challenging EP assignment? How did you overcome obstacles?”
• “What industries or environments have you provided protection services in?”
2. Threat Management Expertise
• “How do you assess and prioritize threats? Can you provide an example?”
• “What tools and methodologies do you use for threat intelligence gathering?”
3. Leadership and Team Building
• “Describe a time you had to build and lead a security team. How did you ensure their effectiveness?”
• “How do you handle conflicts or underperformance within your team?”
4. Adaptability and Client Focus
• “How do you balance security needs with a principal’s desire for privacy or minimal disruption?”
• “What measures do you take to stay updated on a principal’s preferences?”
5. Crisis and Risk Management
• “Describe a situation where you had to manage a crisis or evacuate a principal. What was the outcome?”
• “How do you approach the development of emergency response plans?”
6. Verification and Accountability
• “Can you provide examples of metrics or KPIs you’ve used to evaluate the success of your security programs?”
• “How do you ensure accountability within your team?”
How to Differentiate Between Good and Exceptional Candidates
1. Scenario-Based Assessments
• Present real-world scenarios and assess the candidate’s response in terms of risk assessment, decision-making, and operational execution.
2. Practical Exercises
• Test their skills in defensive driving, threat identification, or emergency response.
3. References and Background Checks
• Contact former clients, supervisors, or team members to validate claims and assess the candidate’s reputation.
4. Performance Metrics
• Ask candidates to provide specific examples of their accomplishments, such as threat mitigations or program cost savings.
5. Cultural Fit
• Evaluate their ability to align with the company’s culture, values, and operational tempo.
Final Thought
Corporations must prioritize candidates with a mix of tactical expertise, strategic foresight, and the interpersonal skills necessary to navigate complex environments. By carefully evaluating credentials, experience, and responses during interviews, businesses can identify professionals who can genuinely perform at the highest level in the executive protection industry.
September 2, 2021
Sexual Assault & Violence Prevention On College Campuses
Every fall semester, colleges try to combat the sexual assaults that spike at the start of each academic year, but experts say many officials don't give students sufficient training to protect themselves or vulnerable peers. Enter NICOLE SNELL -- the award-winning international speaker and self-defense expert who specializes in sexual assault & violence prevention education, personal safety and empowerment. Nicole is the CEO of GIRLS FIGHT BACK, the world-renowned personal safety and self-defense seminar for women. Listen in as Nicole shares everything you need to know about staying safe on college campus and finally putting and end to “The Red Zone.”
Key Take-Aways:
More than half of the male college students who admitted to sexually aggressive behavior (59%) said that they did so by giving drugs or alcohol in order to obtain sex from an un-consenting woman (Koss & Cook, 1993)
[Alcohol] Reduces the ability of victims to detect risk cues and resist effectively (Cleveland, Koss, & Lyons, 1999).
The research generally suggests that alcohol and/or drugs are involved in approximately one-third to two-thirds of all sexual assaults (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2003; Tjaden & Thoennes, 2006; Ullman, Karabatsos, & Koss, 1999). These figures are even higher, however, for sexual assaults committed on a college or university campus.
Lisak, D. & Miller, P.M. (2002). Repeat rape and multiple offending among undetected rapists. Violence and Victims, 17 (1), 73-84
Victim blaming occurs when an observer tries to protect one’s own sense on invulnerability and re-establish their idea of the world as a just place, so in order to retain that comfort zone, the observer concludes the victim must have deserved their fate. They don’t want to believe that the world is not just. Just World Theory.
(Web citation: http://www.ibiblio.org/rcip//vb.html)
One research study involved interviews with 41 serial rapists. Taken together, these offenders had committed 837 known rapes and 401 attempted rapes. The earliest victims were younger siblings, neighborhood children, girlfriends, acquaintances, and spouses. Most of these sexual assaults were never reported, which gives us a chilling picture of what can happen if offenders are not detected or prosecuted (Hazelwood, Rokous, Hartman, & Burgess, 1988).
Stereotypes of women considered ‘gatekeepers” men as “aggressors”, these messages perpetuate ideas that have been held for centuries about what types of behavior are appropriate for women. They suggest that women should not initiate sexual activity or even participate in sexual activity without offering at least some initial protest or resistance, whether it is verbal or physical.
In a sense, these cultural messages give men the "green light" to push women as far as they can sexually and to ignore any protest or resistance by the woman.
While these messages do not turn men into rapists, they do create an environment where aggressive behavior is seen as part of the "normal" role for men in sexual situations. As a result, the behaviors of sexually aggressive men are less likely to be challenged, either by the women who are targeted or by the vast majority of men who are not sexually aggressive. These messages also create an environment where the minority of men who are sexually aggressive are better able to commit their crimes, less likely to be challenged, and more likely to get away with it.
SHOW NOTES:
Malcolm Gladwell talks with Oprah about the Stanford Rape Case: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2980689668670490
Campus Sexual Violence: Statistics: https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence
The Realities of Sexual Assault on Campus: https://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/sexual-assault-on-campus/
“The Hunting Ground” Documentary (Trailer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAcO6byawpo
Difference Makers: www.dm10strong.com
Connect with NICOLE SNELL:
Websites:
IG:
@adventuresofnik: http://www.instagram.com/adventuresofnik
@girlsfightback: http://www.instagram.com/girlsfightback
FB
: https://www.facebook.com/girlsfightback
Outdoor Defense on YT:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo7lyLlZrHz3ZD6OEmxF-Spu0Oddszevr
August 30, 2021
Afghanistan's Impact on Veterans Mental Health
Spencer Coursen (with his service dog, Ronin) on Stu Does America
A true pleasure to have been invited back onto Stu Does America last week to talk about the dynamic impact the Afghanistan’s impact on veteran’s mental health.
Always remember that a simple act of kindness can often go a very long way. Regardless of how a veteran who served in Afghanistan may be feeling about the current situation in that country, a simple, but thoughtful, “thank you for your service” will really mean a lot to someone who served.
If you have more of a personal relationship with that veteran, it’s also fine to say, “Hey, I don’t know how you feel about everything that’s going on, but if you ever want to talk about how you’re feeling or even to just go do something to get your mind off things, please don’t hesitate to give me a call.”
A lot of veterans were already having a tough time with things. And this mess in Afghanistan has only served to make things worse. I know it can be burdensome and even frustrating for those who want to help, but don’t now how to help, to know what to do. Especially when something like this can seem so big in the overall scope of things.
In those moments, small things are often the most significant. Tend to the part of the garden you can touch. More often than not, that may mean simply being there for our friends. So give that person a call. Send them a text. Remind them that they have your love and support.
That simple act of kindness may not seem all that significant to you, but it very well may mean everything to them.
Thank You, Ronin!
Special thanks to my boy, Ronin, for helping to have the emotional courage to share today.
And congrats to him as well for doing so well during his debut tv appearance.
August 23, 2021
Veteran Entrepreneurs In The Security Industry
I was very honored to have been invited to join some of my esteemed colleagues who are also owners of their own business in the security industry. Our panel discussed topics such as how to get started as a veteran entrepreneur, some of the hurdles we faced when starting your own business, the pros and cons of having our own business, lessons learned, and each of us provided some of our own own unique insights into what it takes to succeed in the security profession.
The panel was composed of:
Scot Walker — Founder / Principal of Walker & Associates
Scot Walker started his journey of citizen service as a non-commissioned officer in the military before achieving an appointment as a federal criminal investigator. Scot worked in multiple countries, collaborated with foreign police and intelligence agencies to identify and solve considerable threats to U.S. citizens and military members. Including service with the FBI on their Joint Terrorism Task Force. Scot has worked with some of the most iconic technology brands on the planet as an investigator and consultant, helping them protect intellectual property, mitigate risks to employees, and reduce loss by uncovering the root cause of a problem. Scot is also active in his community, volunteering with public safety agencies, mentoring transitioning military veterans and law enforcement officers, and producing podcasts that help prepare the future workplace for emerging risks.
Tait Reimers - Founder Convoy Security
Tait Reimers is a corporate security leader and former Navy SEAL, who specializes in protective security services for private clients. After completion of military service, Tait began his security career building Executive Protection teams for several of the wealthiest families in the world. Then designing a Protective Operations program for Tesla before serving as Vice President of contract security for Facebook. Today, Tait is focused on delivering corporate and private security services with his Silicon Valley based firm: Convoy Security
Allan Perry - President and Founder of Veterans Covert Protection Group
US Marine, Executive Protection Agent and Security Industry Leader with 15+ years experience operating in high threat domestic and overseas environments protecting a wide range of high profile clientele, including a United States President, government leaders, iconic C-Suite executives, and celebrity clientele.
Spencer Coursen — Founder / President of Coursen Security Group
Spencer Coursen is a nationally recognized threat management expert, founder of Coursen Security Group, and author of the best selling book, "The Safety Trap: A security expert’s secrets for staying safe in a dangerous world.”(St. Martin’s Press, 2021) Drawing from his global experience as a combat veteran, supervisory special agent, and private security specialist, Coursen has an exceptional record of success in the assessment, management, and resolution of threats. His subject matter expertise has made him the go-to solution for organizations, public figures and private families in their return to normalcy after a breach of safety, as well as crisis management, threat assessment, conflict resolution, employee termination, physical security assessment, expert witness testimony, policy authorship, protective intelligence, and vulnerability reduction.
About San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of ASISThe San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of ASIS is one of the founding chapters of ASIS and was chartered on September 24, 1956. With over 600 members, SFBA is one of the largest ASIS Chapters worldwide. Their membership represents the entire spectrum of security professionals including managers and directors of security from many Fortune 500 companies.
August 16, 2021
Dating Apps & Safety Traps
Look Before You LeapWhy are dating apps are so much fun yet inherently so full of risk? It's because they cultivate an ecosystem based entirely on emotional decision making; lure you into false sense of security via pair-bonding with a connection, and then prompt you to overshare intimate, identifying, and personal information with a complete and total stranger. Remember: relationships and trust take time. So, start slow, and build strong.
Here are five simple ways to improve your protective posture while looking for love online:
Do not link your social media accounts to your dating app. Whenever possible, try to keep the two platforms as compartmentalized as possible. Try to use different photos too. Bottom line: Don’t make it so easy for some creep or crazy to find you should you have to block/delete them.
Protect your privacy. Be careful to not overshare personal, sensitive, or identifying information. Think twice before sharing your personal mobile number or social media handles;
Trust but verify. Google them. Search: “images.google.com” then upload their profile photo to see if it appears on any other profiles under any other names. If that sounds too technical for you, here’s a handy step-by-step guide that shows you what to do;
Trust your gut. When in doubt, X them out. Do not allow yourself to get strung along or disrespected. Be in control of your own agency. In all manners of love and life, be slow and deliberate about those you allow in, but quick and decisive about those you zero out.
DO NOT SEND INTIMATE / NUDE PHOTOS. An overwhelming amount of sextortion /blackmail exploits originate from a dating app connection. The best way to prevent yourself from becoming targeted by this kind of exploit is to not say, share, or send anything you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see on the front page of the newspaper or featured on the evening news.
Questions/Comments? Would love to hear from you. Send me a note with the subject line “dating apps” to: info@CoursenSecurityGroup.com
Special thanks to the St. Charles City-County Library for hosting this event and to Heather Wefel for moderating the discussion.
All rights reserved.
©2021 Coursen Security Group, L.L.C.
August 15, 2021
St. Charles City-County Library Speaker Series Present: SPENCER COURSEN
You don’t have to be a “household name” or a celebrity/athlete/global business leader to find yourself in a frightening situation, but you do have to be prepared to protect yourself if you want to stay safe.
Premier threat management expert, Spencer Coursen, shares his top secret tips for how everyday people can stay safe and vigilant. Statistically, we live in the safest era ever. Yet widespread school shootings, workplace violence, and home invasions have most of us living with high levels of fear and anxiety. As a former Airborne Ranger and combat veteran, Spencer Coursen, has seen his fair share of danger.
Through his organization, Coursen Security Group, he has consulted world leaders, celebrities, Fortune 500 titans, and global organizations. Now, he is going to share his secrets with you!
The lessons throughout THE SAFETY TRAP will provide everyone from all walks of life with the necessary survival strategies and tactics needed in this hostile world.
Special thanks to St. Charles City-County Library for hosting this event and to Heather Wefel for hosting this discussion.
Original Recording Date: Thursday, August 12 @ 7:00pm
All rights reserved.
FIVE WAYS OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS TO REDUCE RISK AND PREVENT VIOLENCE
Most business leaders are aware of the risks associated with bringing their service or product into the marketplace, but what about security risks to your operations, places of business, and people? You may think the risk of being directly targeted by violence or other negative action is a low, but times are changing. Especially in a time of growing political and social unrest, proactive measures to reduce vulnerabilities are critical. Today’s business leaders have a responsibility to recognize the limitations of obsolescent, reactive security measures and take more proactive measures for modern threats.
In my book The Safety Trap, I help business leaders identify the hazards that often hide behind a false sense of security. One of the most effective ways to mitigate these risks is simply to employ an “Awareness + Preparation = Safety” mindset and methodology. After all, we don’t stub our toes on the things we notice; we stub our toes on the things we don’t. And one of the most effective ways for a business to increase their awareness is to leverage open source intelligence (OSINT) to its most effective usefulness.
Here are five ways OSINT can be used to help your business reduce risk and prevent violence:
Background Checks
Social Media Monitoring
Reputation Management
Protective IntelligenceWhat
Vulnerability Reduction
Background ChecksAlmost every business requires a pre-employment background check during the initial screening of an applicant, but very few organizations ever bother to follow up with due diligence once that individual is on the job. This can often leave a business vulnerable to valuable insights about the behaviors outside the office which may then bleed into the office environment.
Of course, while it may not be financially feasible to re-run a background check on every employee every year, a cost effective alternative to meet workplace standards could be the use of continuous criminal monitoring. This proactive measure is budget-friendly, while ensuring proactive oversight of your staff. Of course, hits obtained from criminal monitoring require adjudication at the local or state court. A full background screen is also an option at this time. Seek attorney counsel in adopting company policies pertaining to ongoing criminal monitoring and employment re-screenings that are in full compliance with applicable state and local laws.
Social Media Monitoring“Leakage” is one type of several warning behaviors that often reveals a grievance someone has against an individual or organization they feel has wronged them. Outside of interpersonal communications, the second most common outlet for the expression of these grievances takes place online on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, online forums like Reddit, and review sites like Yelp. Monitoring these online platforms for references to your organization or names of key and/or public-facing employees should be routine vigilance against those who may bear your organization or employees ill will.
Reputation ManagementWhile background checks may raise your awareness as to how individuals are promoting their own personal brand in the public landscape, and social media monitoring may help you identify those who bear you harm, OSINT can also help you understand how effective your own branding and promotions are being viewed by the world outside your doors. Just this month, Simon & Schuster was forced to make a statement about their plans to distribute a book written by former Louisville police officer Jonathan Mattingly after news of its publication ignited widespread criticism. It’s reasonable to assume that the Simon and Schuster C-Suite in New York would have loved to have known about the potential backlash before learning about it in The New York Times.
Protective IntelligenceProtective Intelligence is the process for collecting and assessing information about persons, groups, or organizations that, for reasons political, ideological, or personal, represent a physical threat against your organization or your employees. Protective intelligence is also especially helpful for raising your organizational awareness to non-violent threats like social engineering and exploitation, cyberattacks, and ransomware. While much of this information may be collected via social media monitoring, there is also a vast amount of OSINT available in uncovering relationships among people, companies, domains, and publicly accessible internet information.
Geofence monitoring can be employed as a protective measure for physical locations, alerting you to nascent threats or employee actions, such as a strike, well before they develop. Due diligence investigations can give valuable insight to a company’s fiscal and reputational character prior to a merger, acquisition, or partnership. OSINT can also be used to investigate almost any kind of document that it can reach through public channels, including in PDF, DOC, PPT, XLS and many other formats—a valuable asset in helping to reduce risks from industrial espionage by examining them for hidden malware or exploitation encryptions.
Vulnerability ReductionVulnerability reduction is the process by which an organization—having been made aware of the real-world insights provided by their OSINT, due diligence, social media, geofence, and continuous criminal monitoring measures—can begin to prepare today for a safer tomorrow. Your leadership’s participation in this process—and organizational buy-in—ultimately is what’s needed to bolster against modern risks and prevent them from ever becoming a reality.
Spencer Coursen, Founder of Coursen Security Group, and author of THE SAFETY TRAP
About the AuthorSpencer Coursen is a nationally recognized threat management expert and the founder of Coursen Security Group, a premier threat management firm based in Austin, Texas, that provides security assessment, vulnerability reduction, and protective strategies to help organizations, public figures, and others succeed in staying safe. He is the author of The Safety Trap (St. Martin’s Press, 2021). Spencer is a combat veteran, former supervisory special agent, and private security professional whose unique global experience includes an exceptional record of success in the assessment, management, and resolution of threats, conflict resolution, employee terminations, physical security assessments, expert witness testimony, policy authorship, protective intelligence, and vulnerability reduction.
August 6, 2021
Non-Combat Related Deaths and a Gold Star Mother's Fight To Make A Difference
Between 2006 and 2020, 75% of all active-duty U.S military fatalities were classified as non-combat related deaths. 93% of those deaths occurred right here in the United States of America. In today’s episode, I talk to Gold-Star Mother Heather Baker, who’s son, PV2 Caleb Smither was found dead in his own bunk after a head injury placed him on bed rest. He was then left abandoned, uncared for and unmonitored for 5 days. Cause of Death: apathy, complacency, and ignorance on behalf of his fellow soldiers, and the shirking of responsibility by his own command. Hear Heather’s story. Help her if you can. Together we can prevent this tragedy from happening to any other service member ever again.
SHOW NOTES:https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/IF10899.pdf
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/inside-the-rash-of-unexplained-deaths-at-fort-hood
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/feres_doctrine
Connect with Heather Hedge BakerFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.jackson.7374
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hedge76/?hl=en
Email: heather.hedge.baker@gmail.com
Spencer Coursen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.coursen/
Spencer Coursen’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/spencercoursen
Spencer Coursen LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/spencercoursen
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CoursenSecurityGroup
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coursens-corner/id1522159044
PRODUCTION NOTES
Coursen’s Corner is a production of Coursen Security Group
This episode was also brought to you by The Safety Trap
Music, courtesy of Ben Sound
June 19, 2021
SOFREP RADIO - EPISODE 568: "SPENCER COURSEN, AUTHOR OF “SAFETY TRAP” AND PROFESSIONAL SECURITY EXPERT
In my conversation with SOFREP senior editor and SOFREP Radio host Steve Balestrieri, I talk about how “False Authority” occurs when someone who is a subject matter expert in one area uses that authority to also claim expertise in an area outside of their realm. This ‘safety trap’ is especially prevalent in the emergency response plans of schools, offices, and organizations where the collective “accountability” is often prioritized above individual “survivability.”
Protective take-away:When people who are not professional protectors are telling you what to do to protect yourself, ask if what they are telling you to do is in YOUR best interest…or in theirs?
Here’s an excerpt from our conversation:SOFREP Radio streaming everywhere your favorite podcasts are played:May 23, 2021
Fountain Books Presents: "THE SAFETY TRAP" author Spencer Coursen
I had the great pleasure of being invited by Fountain Bookstore to do a virtual Q&A to discuss some of the key take-aways from The Safety Trap. We had a really entertaining yet informative conversation covering a vast spectrum of insights ranging from my motivation for writing the book to some of the practical take-aways readers can employ on the very same day the book is read.
You can watch a short snippet of our conversation here, or you can click the link to watch our conversation in it’s entirety via the Fountain Bookstore Facebook page.
Thank you so much to all of you who watched, and shared, and participated in this event for helping to make my very first book a best seller success. I look forward to doing our in-person signing soon.
