‘Where Were the Bodyguards?’ Will More CEOs Hire Security After the UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder?

With the very public murder — some say assassination — of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in New York City has led many to start talking about bodyguards or executive protection as it’s called in the industry. That is, those who aren’t distracted by the 3D printed gun or silencer boogeyman.

One acquaintance of mine posed a question in the aftermath of the killing, “That guy was a multi-millionaire, why didn’t he have a bodyguard?” To the average person, that seems like a valid question. After all, Hollywood has conditioned us to believe that everyone who is a millionaire has one or more bodyguards on duty.  

Reality versus Hollywood

As someone who provided executive protection for two decades, I can tell you that most wealthy people do not have personal security with the common exception of the guard who sits in the shack at the entrance to the private gated communities in which they live. And that guy is just there to keep out the riff-raff, vagrants, nosey media types, and opportunistic criminals. He’s not there to give said rich folks personal protection.

There’s a very simple explanation for this. The vast majority of human beings operate in a reactive rather than a proactive mindset. People don’t take threats or dangers seriously until something bad happens to them or someone close to them. The wealthy aren’t exceptions to that.

You want proof? 

Consider the aftermath of every major storm that takes out electrical power. When the lights are out, hundreds and thousands rush to the stores to try to purchase the twenty electrical generators on hand at Lowes or Home Depot. They could have purchased generators any time, but they didn’t think they’d actually need one. 

People buy alarm systems after their house has been burglarized. As someone who teaches traumatic medical training, we see people seeking out training and gear after a traumatic injury to themselves or a family member. Again, the wealthy are no different, with the exception being that most of their homes are built with security features and alarms. 

For decades I’ve witnessed this situation. Something happens that causes alarm or scares an executive, a rich guy, whatever you want to call them. There might be threats against them or vandalism due to a labor dispute. They might be assaulted on the street, their house is broken into, etc. I went to work for one client after the local police discovered a plot to kidnap the man’s daughter. 

After they get scared, these folks will seek out security. The more intelligent ones will either vet a security company or, as often as not, they will ask a peer who already has executive protection who they use and what’s involved. During this phase, money is no object. They’ll spend whatever amount it takes to regain a feeling of safety. 

Genuine Security is Expensive

The reality of the situation is this — if a person is in genuine need of a bodyguard, they don’t need one guy, they need at a minimum four men. Real, genuine professional security is a 24-hours-a-day gig.

Bodyguards are human beings. They can’t stay awake all day and all night. They need some time off. People get sick sometimes. The President of the United States doesn’t have security only when he goes out to a public event, he has it during all of his mundane, day-to-day activities, all day long. 

In a previous article, I pointed out some of the specific duties and tasks of executive protection agents. You have close personal protection, advance work, environmental control, etc. These tasks can’t be accomplished by one person.

A trained and experienced professional executive protection agent rightfully expects compensation for their time, skills, and effort. The going rates vary, but $2000 per day for a four-man team isn’t out of the question. Remember, these men need to eat and need a place to sleep.

It’s unlikely that the client will find a bodyguard team that happens to live in their neighborhood. Some unwise folks may go bargain shopping with local rent-a-cop uniformed services and they will rapidly discover that you get what you pay for.   

When the Boogeyman is Gone

My experience — and it is considerable — has always been that the client gets scared — for whatever reason — and they hire security to make them feel safe and secure again. Then, as time goes by, they forget the fear or alarm that caused them to hire security in the first place. They wonder, ‘Why are we paying all this money for security? We haven’t had a threat or incident in X months/years.’ Businessmen like to see a profit. Security is a cost center. It’s an area that will never turn a profit. The security ledger is always in the red.  

And so, after having paid for security and then not seeing any danger or threats, the client many times decides that the security guys are costing them too much. Or they’re simply getting in the way of their daily lives.

Remember, professional protection agents, if they’re worth their pay, advise and consult regarding the behavior and lifestyle of their clients. They’re professionally paranoid and this can be an inconvenience to the client and their family. It might take six months, a year, may two, but eventually, the client will almost always start to cut back.

‘Can’t we just keep two guys and let the others go?’ A good friend and mentor gave me some advice early on in my career: “As soon as they start getting cheap, nickel and diming you, dust off your resume and look for the door.” That’s why, other than in government jobs, very few private executive protection details ever last beyond a year or two. Yes, there are some exceptions, but what I speak of is the rule.   

Will CEOs Start Hiring Bodyguards Now?

Another question that I got from a friend was, “In the aftermath of this (the UHC CEO murder) situation, do you think that CEOs who don’t have security will start hiring bodyguards?” My answer is yes, some will, but most likely won’t or they will rely on the in-house security at their office building or in the hotels in which they stay. I guarantee you that the New York Hilton Midtown, outside of which Brian Thompson was killed, did indeed have a security department. That fact, however, did absolutely nothing to alter the outcome and you really wouldn’t expect it to.

My thirty-year experience is that the illusion of security is far cheaper and easier to get than the protection provided by genuine professional security. The illusion of security is hiring one guy to act as your bodyguard or trying to hire local rent-a-cops or even off-duty police officers to offer a temporary show of security. (Reality check: police officers are not trained to be bodyguards and, as often as not, make poor choices for such.)

I’m sorry to throw a bucket of cold water on those of you who may have wondered what would happen after the Brian Thompson murder, but that’s the reality of the situation, at least as I have experienced it since going to work as a full-time executive protection agent in 1993.

Is there a small percentage of wealthy executives who are prudent and proactive enough to hire and keep real bodyguards on duty? Yes, I’m sure there are…and they could all get together and talk about in a Days Inn conference room. 

 

Paul G. Markel is a combat decorated United States Marine veteran. He is also the founder of Student the Gun University and has been teaching Small Arms & Tactics to military personnel, police officers, and citizens for over three decades.