The initiative to finally devise a long sought credible certification in dignitary and executive protection has made significant progress in the past 18 months and appears to be on a path to success in the not too distant future.

The American Board for Certification in Dignitary and Executive Protection (ABCDEP), a subset of the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security (ABCHS) is currently conducting a survey among EP practitioners to determine the importance of various EP tasks.  This survey is part of the process leading to the creation of the certification exam.  In order to be certified, passing the exam will be a requirement.

BACKGROUND OF THE ABCDEP CERTIFICATION
From its inception in late 2010, the foundation principle of the initiative to establish an American certification standard in dignitary and executive protection was that it be credible.  That meant it had to, 1) be based on a sound doctrine and essential elements of knowledge;  2) that certification candidates command that knowledge;  3) that candidates have experience and;  4) they can pass a rigorous examination sanctioned by an objective third-party entity.  This was not to be a “pay to play” exercise.

The process began with engaging an organization that had a demonstrated ability to guide and facilitate the creation of a bona fide professional certification process and methodology.  The organization selected to provide this function is the ABCHS.  The ABCHS is a non-biased provider of professional certification that does not offer protection services or training.

The next step was to recruit a board of directors from across the spectrum of dignitary and executive protection with the relevant experience and skills that would assure a comprehensive view of the profession.  The 15 members of the board – all volunteers who donate their time and serve at their own expense – are active practitioners in one way or another from the corporate, private, and government sectors.  Together, the board has more than 325 years of experience in the profession.  A list of board members is on the ABCDEP website.

The board’s task was to structure a process to achieve certification that would be recognized by peers and end-users as evidence of professional competency.  That began with a comprehensive description of what the job of dignitary and executive protection actually entails.  The product of that effort was the Job Task Analysis (JTA), a 150+ page document that details the essential elements of providing protective services.  The JTA was the foundation for creation of the Job Task Statement (JTS) which lists the skills knowledge that a competent, professional EP agent must command.

A SURVEY OF EP PRACTITIONERS
In order to test the validity of the Job Task Statement, a survey was developed to be taken by actual EP practitioners.  The purpose of the survey is to determine the frequency and importance of applying and performing the tasks listed in the JTS, “…to get a good feel for the job requirements of dignitary and executive protection professionals.”  The survey will be used to validate that the certification is, “…aligned with the ‘real world’ demands of someone working in these areas [EP].”

If you want to participate in this survey, you can access it at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N5B9CLG

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND TESTING
Another key task for the ABCDEP Board was to establish the baseline requirements for certification: 1) Evidence of training and education in dignitary and executive protection that is consistent with the doctrine and knowledge enumerated in the JTA;  2) a minimum of two years of cumulative protection experience;  3) successfully pass the ABCDEP certification examination.

A board committee is currently developing an objective standard and methodology by which a certification candidate’s educational achievements will be evaluated.  This includes the pre-approval of schools and training programs whose curriculum comports with the standard established by the ABCDEP.  That standard will be objectively based on the JTA and JTS.  If a school is pre-approved, it will mean that a candidate’s educational credentials will be automatically accepted.

The documentation of work experience will be the responsibility of the candidate.  A committee of board members will evaluate the student’s experience.

Another board committee is working on the design of the certification exam, pending the results of the survey.

OBJECTIVITY IN THE ABCDEP CERTIFICATION PROCESS
In the training world it is common practice to conduct training, test students, and issue a certificate.  That is a reasonable and accepted practice.  But it is not the same as certification, mainly because the training and certificate come from the same source: the training provider.  This process lacks the independent verification that a student commands the knowledge required to perform the task.

In order to meet the generally accepted standards for professional certification – in any field – the certification candidate must first obtain their training and education, then pass an accredited examination created by an independent entity.  Using this independent testing methodology ensures that a candidate actually possesses the knowledge necessary to meet the standard established for that certification.  Moreover, this arms-length validation of education, experience, and examination will foster confidence in an end-user who employs an EP agent.

As stated previously, in order to maintain an objective separation and avoid any conflict of interest that would degrade the credibility and high-value of the certification, neither the ABCHS nor the ABCDEP will offer any training in the field of dignitary and executive protection.  Furthermore, no member of the ABCDEP Board who offers for-profit training is allowed to serve on the committee that evaluates student education and training, and approves training providers.

AN INDUSTRY COMMUNITY DRIVEN EFFORT
This certification initiative is not the product of a single entity or individual with a narrow perspective.  It involves several independent organizations, the EP community, and the combined effort of 15 professionals with varied backgrounds, education and training, and experience who have devoted considerable time and energy at their own expense to create a credible certification in dignitary and executive protection that will benefit not only the practitioners, but the end-users of protective security services.

Information about the ABCDEP, board members, and the ABCHS, is available on the ABCDEP website.

Disclosure & Disclaimer: Michael Nossaman, President of the Protective Security Council, is a volunteer member of the ABCDEP Board of Directors, and serves as the Board Secretary.  Neither he, nor the Protective Security Council has any business or financial relationship with the ABCDEP or the ABCHS. You can contact him at info@protectivesecuritycouncil.com. The content and accuracy of this article is the sole responsibility of the author and the Protective Security Council, and is not an official statement of the ABCHS, the ABCDEP, or the ABCDEP Board of Directors.

Permission to Reproduce.  Permission to reproduce this copyrighted article, in part or whole and unedited, is granted provided you give attribution to the author and source,  and include a link to the original article.

To receive future announcements about the ABCDEP certification, Join Our Mailing List.

Customarily we fill vacant sessions with people with whom we have an existing relationship or who have a specialized knowledge and skill set relevant to our conference mission and objectives.  This time, however, we are changing our method of building the conference curriculum.  Due to the growth of the PSC community of professionals – constituting a vast amount of talent, knowledge, and experience – we are making an open call for seminar proposals.

If you are interested in presenting a seminar at the 2012 PSC Security Solutions Conference or a future PSC Conference, we invite you to submit your proposal.  Information about appropriate seminars for consideration, and guidelines for submitting a proposal, is available on the PSC website.  You can use this link to directly access the Conference Guidelines.

Security Solutions: Executive Protection
Wednesday – June 8

Security Solutions: Executive Management
Thursday – June 9

Plus, a special Keynote presentation by Tony Scotti
“Why Are We Here?  Where We Came From And Where We Are Going”
Legendary executive safety and security guru Tony Scotti, President of Tony Scotti Associates, will take you through five decades of security changes and evolution and describe what we knew then, what is different today, and what we will need to change and adapt to be successful in the future.  One of the most revered experts in the security industry, Tony Scotti is a true pioneer and innovator of modern security.
Wednesday – June 8

Security Solutions: Executive Protection – Panelists
This panel of experienced and hardened EP pros will answer your toughest questions about how to do the job in the real world, and share their knowledge about what it takes to be successful in this demanding profession.

Joseph Autera
President & CEO
Tony Scotti’s Vehicle Dynamics Institute

Gary Berry, SAC
Protective Services Division
Office of Disaster Management and National Security
US Department of HUD

Philip Curlewis, CFE, CHS-III
CEO
Abate Risk Ltd (Hong Kong)

David L. Johnson, CHS-V, DABCHS
President
ITG Consultants, Inc

Filippo Marino
Director – Executive Protection
McDonald’s Corporation

Edgar Mosquera, Esq.
General Counsel-Intel Manager
Protection Resources International

Security Solutions: Executive Management – Panelists
This distinguished panel of security executives with a wide range of experience will answer your toughest questions and give you straightforward advice about how to guide your enterprise into the global markets of the new century.

Russell G. Cline
Corporate Security Director
Westinghouse Electric Company

Rick Colliver
Global Security Manager
Eaton Corporation

Jerry Heying, CPP
President & CEO
International Protective Group

D. Bruce McIndoe
President
iJet Intelligent Risk Systems

Scott Sheafe
Global Security Director
MARS, Incorporated

Mikkel Chr. Runberg
Managing Partner
Guardian Global Business Security (Copenhagen)

You can still register for the 2011 PSC Conference if you act today!

Don’t miss this exceptional event.

REGISTER NOW!             GET MORE DETAIL

The Third
PROTECTIVE SECURITY CONFERENCE
Security Solutions You Need To Succeed!
  June 8-10, 2011  ~  Tremont Plaza Hotel  ~  Baltimore, Maryland

“Excellent forum. Covered a variety of topics with top notch speakers – experts in their field.”

  See the Protective Security Conference video

Since I have been talking up the Protective Security Council Conference (PSC) in the social media, I have been asked, “What is the PSC and what about this ‘new’ conference?”  First, the PSC is an organization of security professionals created and managed by Michael Nossaman.  He has a long history of organizing conferences and associations that have made a huge impact on our industry.  My association with him goes back almost 25 years.  Second, by no stretch of the imagination is the PSC conference new to the community.   Not only is this the third PSC conference, in fact, it has a historical link that threads back more than 25 years. 

In the mid-1980’s, a group of like-minded associates got together and formed the Tactical Response Association (TRA).  I was fortunate to be part of the original group that included people from law enforcement, the military, government agencies, and corporate and private security practitioners.   In just a short time, the TRA grew to more than 700 members.  Keep in mind this was a time that pre-dated the Internet, web pages, blogs, and social media.  The TRA had no goal other than to help each other and the community, but when it got to 700 plus members, managing it became a chore.  The original TRA founders were all busy working in their respective fields, so we asked Mike Nossaman to manage it.

 Mike took charge of the TRA and, not only did he continue to increase membership to an impressive number, he undertook several other significant initiatives.  He revived the dormant conference and changed the name of it from the TRA Conference & Expo to TREXPO – the Tactical Response Conference & Expo.   He also launched the TRA’s professional journal named “TACTICAL RESPONSE & SECURITY” – a picture of one of the covers is included here.  By the way, notice that one of the contributing authors is Bob Oatman.  Two decades later Bob is a speaker at this year’s PSC Conference, as he has been at many of the conferences that Mike has organized. 

I don’t know exactly when, but sometime in the mid-1990’s, the original TRA founding fathers eventually went their separate ways, and left the TRA, TREXPO, and the journal in Mike’s capable hands. Over the years he grew TREXPO into a must attend event and continued to publish the magazine.  After many years of hard work, in 2001, Mike decided to sell TREXPO and concentrate on Varro Press, the security and law enforcement book publishing company that he founded in the early 1990’s.

As a side note, recently, a young man asked me if I had ever heard of an event called TREXPO.  What could I say to him? “Yes, I was there at the beginning of TREXPO.”  No, I just said, “Yes, I have heard of it”.

A few years ago, Mike saw the need for another organization – like the old TRA – that would satisfy the need of security professionals for high-level, in-depth  information about the strategies, tactics, and tools for protecting people – all the people –  from the boardroom to the mailroom, from down the hall to around the world; at every level and location. In this context, the term people, refers to all organization stakeholders: employees, suppliers, stockholders, customers, and communities.  His vision took life when he created the Protective Security Council (PSC).

Now you know.  The PSC is not new.  In fact, the theory behind the PSC is old, and happens to be a great concept. All one needs to do is look at who is speaking at this year’s conference.  As it was in the TRA, they all have one goal– to share their knowledge and expertise with the community.  If you only attend one event this year, this is the one.  Then someday in the future, if someone asks if you know about the PSC, you can answer, “Yes, I was there at the beginning.”

This post was first published in SecurityDriverNews.com by Tony Scotti and reprinted with permission. 

Copyright 2011 Tony Scotti.  All rights reserved.

Roughly calculated, the combined experience of the speakers at the 2011 PSC Conference exceeds 500 years.  That’s a lot of knowledge. 

For two-and-a-half days in June, these highly successful experts will share with you what they have learned so you can succeed too.

Bill Cooper, Senior Security Manager at T-Mobile, USA will show you how to achieve operational excellence through benefit driven management.

Russ Cline, Corporate Security Director at Westinghouse Electric, and Scott Sheafe, Global Security Director at Mars, Incorporated will take you inside their companies to learn how risk management is actually applied.

They will follow Bruce McIndoe, President of iJet Intelligent Risk Systems, who will map out the operational risk management process and how to implement it.

Gary Berry, SAC, Protective Services at HUD is going to explain to you the real world truth about protective security survival and tactical street sense.  

Carl Mountain and Bernard Kaopuiki, Senior Investigators at Microsoft will show you how to implement a comprehensive workplace violence threat management system and process.  

Then Fredrick Foster, CPP, a Vice President at Andrews International will give you a wealth of practical advice on direct intervention in workplace violence threats.

Philip Curlewis, CFE, CEO of Abate Risk in Hong Kong, and Mikkel Runberg, Managing Partner at GBS Security in Copenhagen will share with you in two separate sessions effective methods for doing business in foreign countries.

John Sullivan, Director of Corporate Security at Dunkin Brands will show you how to go from security leadership to corporate leadership.

Filippo Marino, Director of Executive Protection at McDonald’s will explain the effect of information age technology on corporate protection operations and how to use it.

David Johnson, CHS-V, President of ITG Consultants who wrote the book on the subject, will share his vast knowledge about the protective advance.

Elijah Shaw, President of Icon Services knows a lot about high-profile celebrity protection from his experience around the globe.

Robert Oatman, CPP President of R.L. Oatman Associates will teach you about securely operating in Mexico.

Bob Duggan, President of ESI will explain in detail the precursors to an assault.

Joe Autera, President of Vehicle Dynamics Institute will show you how to combine protective intelligence, secure transportation, and close protection. 

Rick Colliver, Global Security Manager at Eaton Corporation, operates in 24 times zones and he will map a process for conducting field expedient threat assessments you can apply throughout your enterprise.

Edgar Mosquera, Esq., General Counsel at Protection Resources International will guide you through steps you need to take to avoid protection tax traps and legal pitfalls.

Mayer Nudell, CSC, Principal at Specialized Consulting Services will show you how to create a process for creating dynamic simulation, testing, and training programs.

These experts were selected to speak at the 2011 Protective Security Conference not only because they are knowledgeable and successful, but because they are active practitioners.  All of them are currently working for major corporations or top-tier security companies.

The only chance you will ever have to access the knowledge of these exceptional people at the same time and place is at this year’s PSC Conference.  Even if you traveled to learn from them individually, it would take you years and cost a fortune.

The PSC Conference is different. It is designed to give you access to the highest level of thought leading and innovative professionals in the business today.  Extraordinary people who can help you advance your career…and help you to better protect the people in your organization. 

The PSC Conference is only 30 days away.  Don’t be left behind, get the knowledge you need and can’t get anywhere else.  Act now to guarantee your place at this extraordinary event.

REGISTER NOW!             GET MORE DETAIL

The Third
PROTECTIVE SECURITY CONFERENCE
Security Solutions You Need To Succeed!
  June 8-10, 2011  ~  Tremont Plaza Hotel  ~  Baltimore, Maryland

“Extremely informative.  Real world speakers who have done the job. 
Very good.  I learned a lot and will attend again.”

  See the Protective Security Conference video

Deadline #1
PSC Conference Early Bird Registration Expires May 8.
Register before then for only $695.00 and Save $100.00
Click To Register Now

Deadline #2
Reserve your Tremont Hotel room by May 9.
Take advantage of the PSC discount rate of only $155.00
Only a limited number of rooms are available at this rate.
After May 9, we cannot guarantee the discount rate…or that rooms will be available.

Reserve your room by phone.
800-873-6668  (800-TREMONT)
Mention PSC2011 when making your reservation.

Reserve your room online.
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TREMONT PLAZA HOTEL
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SECURITY SOLUTIONS YOU NEED TO SUCCEED!

PROTECTIVE SECURITY CONFERENCE
June 8-10, 2011  ~  Tremont Plaza Hotel  ~  Baltimore, Maryland
Click here for complete PSC Conference details.

“The PSC had the highest level of professionals attending than any event I’ve participated in. The longer sessions allowed for better understanding of concepts.”

The Increasing Threat of Homegrown Terrorists

Someone once told me that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  I guess that statement is true to some extent.  As I’m watching the world of terrorism continue to evolve, observe the growing phenomenon of “homegrown terrorists,” and the advent of the new internet based Inspire magazine allegedly published by al-Qa’ida on the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), those of us in the security, law enforcement, and military communities need to be as proactive as we can.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, [1] terrorists are increasing their use of the internet as a means of communicating with each other – and the rest of the world.  Western governments have intensified surveillance of such sites but their prosecution of site operators is hampered by concerns over civil liberties, the Internet’s inherent anonymity, legal constraints, and other factors. 

“The internet is a powerful tool for terrorists, who use online message boards and chat rooms to share information, coordinate attacks, spread propaganda, raise funds, and recruit, experts say.  According to Haifa University’s Gabriel Weimann, whose research on the subject is widely cited, the number of terrorist (web) sites increased exponentially over the last decade – - from less than 100 to more than 4,800 two years ago.  The numbers can be somewhat misleading, however.  In the case of al-Qa’ida,, hundreds of sister sites have been promulgated but only a handful are considered active, experts say. Nonetheless, analysts do see a clear proliferation trend.” [2]

What’s changing is the ease of anonymous and global communication, the ability to recruit, motivate, and train homegrown terrorists, and further exploitation of vulnerabilities in our open and free society by those who seek to do us great harm.

What remains the same is the need to develop our collective ability to conduct, and use, surveillance detection. Actually, the need for surveillance detection is the same as it has been for years, although some consider it to be a relatively new concept.  What’s different today, however, is the level of need for it – there is a definite need for its expanded growth and use.  In fact, the need for us to get better at conducting it and do it more often is of paramount importance.

A Range of Risk

As a retired US Army Criminal Investigator and a dignitary and executive protection practitioner for some 31 years now, I know there are three ways a protectee can become a victim of a crime.  In the context of what protection professionals do; assassination and kidnapping, causing injury, and even causing embarrassment are the crimes we must protect against.  Deterring those “crimes” is what is what we do in this profession.  It’s important to realize too, that it doesn’t matter if these crimes are committed by a terrorist, a stalker, or a mentally deranged individual with a motive no sensible person can understand or rationalize.  Motive is irrelevant, the effect is the same.

So how does one become the victim of one of these crimes?  There are three ways:

1. Being specifically targeted – an individual or group targets a specific individual or entity.
2. Being a target of opportunity either by:
   1. Meeting a specific profile.  For example: a white male driving an American-made SUV on the streets of Bagdad, Iraq.
   2. Being immediately recognizable as an individual of considerable target value during a chance encounter with people using these tactics.
3. Being an innocent bystander – in an area where and when an act of terrorism is committed, but not specifically targeted under conditions 1 or 2, above.

Now, there’s something interesting about all of that from the surveillance detection perspective, the conditions under which these three types of crimes can occur have distinctive characteristics:

1. In order to accomplish an attack on a specific target, the attacker(s) must be in place at a time before their intended victim arrives, or meet the target at a time and place that the attacker knows their victim will be.  The victim must be time and place predictable to the attacker(s) or the plan fails.  In the case of celebrities and political figures, this is can sometimes be accomplished simply by reading press releases or a newspaper.  In most cases, however, gathering this information is not that easy and necessitates conducting surveillance.  A common predictor of time and place are the target’s patterns. Determining those patterns, and the development of associated information, is the purpose of that surveillance activity. Either way, the attacker(s) now know when they have to be in a particular place at a particular time in order to carry out their attack against their intended victim.  Examples of this kind of scenario are the attempted assassination of General Frederick Kroesen, and the successful kidnapping and subsequent murder of Hans Martin Schleyer in West Germany in the late 70’s and early 80’s by the terrorist organization then known as the Red Army Faction.   The assassination of President John F. Kennedy also fits this scenario. There are many other case studies that could be cited here.
2. Attackers seeking targets of opportunity must first develop a profile of their intended victim and then set up at a location that suits their needs.  They then conduct surveillance waiting for someone who meets their profile to enter their area of operations.  When that happens they can then initiate their attack.  One example of an opportunity attack is a crime commonly encountered in Mexico called “express kidnapping.”  A tourist flags down a taxi. The taxi driver is a criminal looking for customer victims who fit his profile –tourists with fat wallets and ATM cards.  The taxi driver kidnaps his fare, takes them to an ATM machine once before midnight, and forces them withdraw the maximum daily amount of funds.  The taxi driver holds his victim until after midnight at which time he takes his mark once more to an ATM to make another withdrawal.  This method enables the criminal taxi driver to get two days worth of funds from the victim’s bank account. After that, generally the victim is released.  Both the scenarios described above are purely crimes of opportunity. 
3. An innocent bystander, getting caught in the middle of a violent situation directed at someone else and becoming a victim of the crime is a situation that, generally, has arisen out of one of the first two scenarios – and where surveillance has been conducted.  Whether that crime was one of specific targeting, or opportunity, is of no matter.  One of the most notable examples of this type of incident is the assassination of Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat in 1981 while he was a reviewing a military parade.  While this act was clearly a specifically targeted assassination attack directed at President Sadat, others in this reviewing stand, all of whom were invited guests, were killed or wounded.  In addition to President Sadat, six others were killed in that attack.  The wounded included the Belgian Ambassador to Egypt, the Cuban Ambassador to Egypt, the First Secretary of the Australian Embassy, and three American servicemen.  All of the killed and the wounded were innocent bystanders caught in the middle of a planned, targeted attack directed at President Sadat.

It’s critically important to recognize that no matter which of these three scenarios you may potentially encounter as a victim, surveillance has been conducted by the bad guys.  If it’s the first, the attackers will use surveillance to identify a planned, future event, at which the target of their attack will be present.  If it’s the second scenario, the attackers will utilize surveillance techniques to identify potential victims who fit their profile.  If it is the third, they’ve already conducted their surveillance and are now carrying out their plan.  If you get caught in one of those events, you’d definitely be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Basic Avoidance

In response to all of this, various theories, philosophies, tactics, techniques, and procedures for dealing with these threats have been developed over the years. As I review some of ways to minimize risk, I’m going to work in reverse order of the preceding list; working from the easiest thing to counter to the hardest.

Avoidance can be used to reduce the potential of becoming a bystander victim of a terrorist act.  Westerners might avoid frequenting places where other Westerners congregate.  For example, avoiding for a while the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia might be a sensible idea since that hotel has been bombed twice; once in 2003 and again in 2009.  Avoid large crowds and gatherings, and know the dates that are important to terrorist organizations.  Avoid hanging out with folks who may be bullet magnets whenever possible, and at all times, attempt to dress and act as unobtrusively as possible.

To reduce the potential of becoming a victim of a crime of opportunity, once again, as much as possible, avoid the kinds of behavior that make attack easier.  Avoid routes where opportunity crimes are easy or common.  Avoid “bad” parts of the towns and cities.  Stay up-to-date on US State Department Travel Advisories and other alert sources, and only use taxis recommended by a hotel’s concierge, especially in Mexico.  

Maintain a low profile as much a possible, and try to fly under the radar so to speak.  Leave expensive jewelry and other “bling” at home or in the hotel safe. Try not to overtly advertise “American” in certain locations.  Keep tight control of itinerary information and use trusted, vetted resources whenever possible.

They key to avoid being victimized as a targeted individual, is to think like a target.  People can make a potentially fatal error by thinking that they are not an “important” enough personality, to be a target.  Just the opposite could be the case: Not being an “important” personality could make them a target – a “softer” target that a group or organization can use effectively to advance their agenda.  Sometimes, the mere fact of being employed by a company that has been targeted, and living in a particular area – whether in a cloistered compound or amongst the population at large – is enough to make someone a desirable target.  Simple things like varying travel routes and times, as much as possible, make it difficult for someone to develop predictable time and place information.  Why do these things?  Because before an attacker can carry out their plan, they need to know, in advance, where and when their target will be there so they can pre-deploy their forces in preparation for the attack.

The Targeted Attack Planning Process

There is however, another protective measure that can help avoid all of these attack scenarios: surveillance detection.  An individual can do this on their own or employ a trained, dedicated Surveillance Detection Team.  

There are two reasons why an individual needs to become familiar with using surveillance detection techniques if living or working in an environment where this is a prudent activity.  First, history indicates that surveillance in one form or another has been conducted on every single victim of a “targeted” attack – all of them with no exceptions!  Again, that is because the target of this type of attack must be time and place predictable to the attackers.  Second, there are eight phases common in all planned, targeted terrorist attacks.   

• Phase One: Initial Target Selection.  Within a terrorist’s operating area there are often many people or facilities that, if attacked, will provide them with the kind of media exposure or other attributes they may be seeking to achieve their agenda.  Often, terrorists will make a list of potential suitable targets that can be assessed to determine which targets are of the highest value and offer the greatest probability of successful attack execution. 
• Phase Two: Surveillance.  Conducted to learn all there is to know about the potential target.  If the target is an individual, they look at routines, security awareness, amount of security present, routes, and myriad other things that will help them plan their attack.  If the target is a facility, they identify and evaluate security issues – perhaps even conducting penetration testing – identify avenues of approach, and the various vulnerabilities that can be exploited.  They try to identify all the information necessary to determine what it will take to successfully attack that person or location and what kind of attack has the best chance of success.
• Phase Three: Final Target Selection. “OK, we’ll move forward with the plan to conduct a    _______________ type of attack against _______________ (individual or facility). This is where they decide who or what they will attack and how they will conduct their attack.
• Phase Four: Planning. The attack plan is made, resources are gathered, the bomb is built.  Whatever they think they need to be successful in their endeavor is pulled together, produced, or prepared.  In the case of assassination or kidnapping, they often rehearse the attack plan so they can get good at it.
• Phase Five: Final Surveillance.  Terrorists can be rather paranoid and are often very thorough in their efforts.  Though not always done, there is a definite tendency to go back out and do surveillance one more time just to make sure that nothing has changed and that their plan will still work.
• Phase Six: Deployment.  They are ready to go and all is in order.  Their attacking force will head to the facility or to a pre-planned destination, often a rally point, to make final arrangements for carrying out the attack.  If the target is an individual, they go where he or she is time and place predictable.
• Phase Seven: Target Arrival.  This step is not necessary when attacking facilities; the attackers will move from the deployment phase to the attack phase.  However, when attacking people, they must confirm that their target has arrived at the expected – and predicted – time and place. 
  • A member of their team may be assigned the task of Target ID - verify that the target has arrived at the site and that all is well in the environment.  If that is the case, they signal all is well to the attacking force and the attack begins.  If all is not well, for example the intended victim has changed their security posture by adding security agents or there are police in the area, the signal is given to call off the attack (in cases where suicide modus operandi are not in play and sometimes even if they are), and the attack is deferred to another day.
• Phase Eight: Attack.  The plan is executed.

During at least five of these phases; Initial Surveillance, Final Surveillance, Deployment, and Target Arrival and Target ID there is the potential to detect surveillance, and possibly even the terrorist operatives themselves, Through proper training and awareness, an individual or a protection team can use surveillance detection techniques to discover if the individual has been targeted, and also to provide a higher level of security.  It’s entirely possible that by using surveillance detection techniques, an individual (or in my profession, my principal) might gain advance knowledge that they have become:

a)     A potential specifically targeted victim; or,

b)     That activity consistent with surveillance and crimes committed against targets of opportunities is present in the immediate environment; or,

c)     A potential innocent bystander victim by recognizing that one of the five times there is potential to detect surveillance or deployment is occurring.  Right that instant. 

In all of these circumstances, for most people, the first natural reaction will be to look down and say, “Feet – don’t fail me now!”  Candidly, in some cases, that’s the worst thing to do.  The proper action will be dictated by the circumstance.  Early in the process – the first Phases – there are other options available.  But in the later Phases, that’s exactly the proper action!

The Risk of Doing Nothing

Inspire Magazine and various other Internet recruitment efforts are actually inspiring the growth of the terrorist phenomenon.  Terrorism isn’t going away any time soon and plain, everyday criminals, even psychologically deranged individuals, are now using tactics once solely reserved for terrorist organizations.  All of them are using surveillance methodology, even including penetration testing.  Surveillance Detection methodology needs to move more to the forefront of proactive security efforts so security professionals can become even more capable and successful at identifying and stopping attacks before they happen.  Identifying activity consistent with the conduct of surveillance, coupled with ongoing protective intelligence gathering that can lead to effective investigations that can stop a terrorist operation in its tracks.

If you don’t use, or have not been trained at, Surveillance Detection, and the information in this article doesn’t persuade you to use it or seek training, then maybe the following tidbit of information will help.  Sometime around the year 2000, the Manchester Metropolitan Police in England raided and searched a suspected al-Qa’ida member’s home.  During that search, they discovered a “training manual” in a computer file described as “the military series” related to “The Declaration of Jihad.”   Sections of it were released during a trial in New York related to the US Embassy Bombings in Africa.

In the beginning of this manual, under a section called “Principles of Military Organization” the following information is presented:

“Military Organization has three main principles without which it cannot be established:

1. Military Organization commander and advisory council
2. The soldiers (individual members)
3. A clearly defined strategy

Military Organization Requirements:

The Military Organization dictates a number of requirements to assist it in confrontation and endurance.  These are:

1. Forged documents and counterfeit currency
2. Apartments and hiding places
3. Communications means
4. Transportation means
5. Information [3]
6. Arms and ammunition
7. Transport”

Sounds like there was a budding Sun Tzu writing this manual but it is all correct – though I know not why they mention transportation twice.

But I’ll give you three guesses about how they develop and obtain information.  Yep, you’re right – one of the ways they advocate gaining information necessary to carry out their nefarious plans is through conducting surveillance.  They also advocate reading open source material and recruiting informants or spies but that’s not the subject of this article.  Surveillance Detection is the subject, and as I read those parts of this “training manual” that I could get my hands on, I noted that there were approximately 4,097 words in 251 paragraphs of that document that were devoted to the conduct of surveillance and surveillance detection efforts.  Yep, you read that right – they too, use surveillance detection. 

Serious players in this world also use dedicated, separately deployed, security elements to guard their surveillance operatives.  If you’re out there without proper training in surveillance detection and don’t know about that kind of thing and how it works, guess what?  You’re more than likely about to become a target of opportunity yourself.

Now I’m going to make just one last pitch at selling this concept of surveillance detection to members of the security, law enforcement, and military communities (and to potential victims of these crimes everywhere).  This is a skill base that has BROAD application.  Drug dealers are using both surveillance and surveillance detection.  So are people hi-jacking cars, conducting insurance frauds, picking pockets, robbing convenience stores, and a whole host of other crimes these days.

And if you really want to get good at this start studying the modus operandi used by the criminals you are targeting with surveillance detection efforts.  Learn how they do what it is they do.  That way, you will greatly enhance your effectiveness in applying surveillance detection in protective security. 

If, while doing this surveillance detection thing you encounter terrorist surveillance, and develop enough information through your actions to initiate a formal criminal investigation that results in the identification and arrest of plotters, you’ll probably not become a public hero.  Likely as not, you’ll remain in the background and quietly continue to do your thing.  But I can promise you this:  uncovering one of their plots in this manner hurts a whole lot less than discovering you’ve become the victim of their crime when you arrive on the “X” of their kill zone and have to execute an Attack on Principal Drill, or your very best anti-ambush techniques.  That much is for sure!

[1] (www.cfr.org),
[2] Terrorists on the Internet – Council on Foreign Relations, January 8, 2009.
[3] Bold Italics added for emphasis by the author

David L. Johnson is President of ITG® Consulting Services. He has over 30 years of experience in providing executive and personal security services in both the US military and private sector on a global scale. He is the author of ADVANCE: The Guide For Conducting A Protective Security Advance.  Contact him at djohnson@itg4.com

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