Security - a different perspective

[chasfm11]

Saturday, we were invited to dinner and the Texas vs Yankees baseball game. We were introduced to two new couples by our hostess . One couple had just taken our hostess shooting for the first time at Elm Fork that day (Glock 23, .22, .38 & AR). The other husband is an ex-Marine who does security consulting work. As you can imagine, guns were a large part of the conversation during the 9 hours we were together (game was rain delayed)

I quizzed the security consultant on a number of topics and was surprised by some of his answers:

1. What to you carry mostly? Answer: LCP. He has an impressive list of other choices but said that he used most of it seldom
2. Have you had to use your gun on the job? Answer: No. Only held it 5 times in 25 years and displayed it 3 times. He went on to explain that 80% of his job was advance work . He said that in many situations, like the baseball game we were at, a gun wouldn’t be much help and that his job was primarily getting his principal(s) away from any threats, leaving them for LE to deal with. He said that close in threats were the result of bad advanced planning.
3. What is your biggest challenge? Answer: Principals who don’t want to follow security advice.
4. What is the worst threat you faced: Answer: a particularly unsavory principal was accompanied to a OK night spot where he acted like a jerk with some of the local gals. He used his security team as a shield to ward off the reactions from local males. They were staying in a house and in the wee hours in the morning, the house took high power rifle fire from several directions. He said that they probably had enough firepower themselves to repel an attack until LE could get there but it wasn’t the best of situations.
5 What was your biggest security failure? Answer: trying to protect an opposing team hockey player in the penalty box. He said while he managed to get fans who tried it ejected, he often got covered in the same beer that was thrown at the hockey player. He likened the situation to being in a dunk tank for a baseball pitch at a local carnival. Apparently, he was seated in the box beside or near the opposing player.

Given that, I encouraged him into a debate over the Friendswood Wal-Mart robbery situation, terming it “unpreventable.” His answer was: “ you sound like some of my principals.” His approach was:
1. Never go alone. Two is good, three is better
2. Establish an outer boundary and take immediate defensive measures if it is breached. I assumed that to mean that the first act in arriving at the car would be to start it and be ready to take off, leaving a half unloaded cart of groceries if necessary.

He claimed to be working for the CEO of a hospital after a hostile and acrimonious financial takeover. He said that he mostly did level two security but this one was level three. I had the sense not to ask for more details

Listening to him talk gave me a whole new perspective to defensive avoidance. I’ve read Gavin de Becker’s “Gift of Life.” This fellow recommends “Fear Less.”