Criticality is the measurement of the degree to which an organization or individual depends on a person, system, or information for what they have defined as success. Some examples of critical individuals include but are not limited to C-suite employees, politicians, professional athletes, artists, and celebrities. These high performers are typically high net worth individuals and are at an increased risk for death threats, assassination attempts, kidnappings, and extortion. However, many people that occupy these positions understand their criticality and have hired security professionals to protect them and their assets.

Most entities recognize the criticality of these high performing individuals but many individuals and organizations overlook the need of security for their family members. This has been a well- documented issue for a century and was most recently highlighted in December of 2021 in the attempted kidnapping of NHL legend Patrick Marleau’s son at a hotel pool. Patrick did not have a personal security team and the kidnapping would have likely been a success if not for a random hotel guest intervening on the child’s behalf.

Tushar Atre, the CEO of Atrenet, a digital marketing firm, was kidnapped while sleeping in his bed and later killed in October of 2019. The assailants were disgruntled employees that collected a ransom and then decided to kill him anyway. He was found in his BMW parked on a property that he owned. Besides the horrific effect that his death had on his family, Atrenet suffered as well and is now attempting to revitalize the company. It is also relevant to acknowledge that this story indicates that people do not have to be instantly recognizable to the public to be targeted by criminals.

The budget and personnel required for effective security may look different for different people and organizations based on the CARVER measurements and the Executive Security Risk Assessment. Higher risk requires additional resources to preserve the safety, security, and reputation of the client. For example, in 2020, Facebook spent 23.4 million dollars for personal security for Mark Zuckerberg and his family. An additional consideration for publicly traded companies, is the effect that a security related incident may have on the share price. If an incident affects the share price, it will likely increase the volatility of the stock and deter large investors. This can result in short term financial damage for the company.

Accessibility is the measurement of how likely a person or group can exploit a system or entity. This measurement has proven to be one of the most relevant and one of the most overlooked by individuals and organizations. Individuals that have been chosen as targets are usually chosen because they are deemed to be more accessible than other potential targets. Criminals generally weigh the probability of success with what is to be gained from their criminal activities. If a politician has a Secret Service detail with them around the clock, they are not as accessible as a person who has a no security or a limited security presence. A common mistake is to assume that assailants are not interested in targeting people that are not easily recognizable to the public. It is improper to assume that these people do not need protection.

A good example of this mistake is the kidnapping of Kevyn Wynn the daughter of casino operations manager Steve Wynn. Steve had overseen the construction and operation of several Las Vegas casinos including the The Mirage. Two men broke into Kevyn’s condo and forced her to call her father on his car phone. When Steve received this call, he thought that it was a joke
because he had assumed that his status was not high enough to attract this kind of behavior towards his family. The men demanded that he consolidate and deliver bags of cash from The Mirage as a ransom for his daughter. The ransom was paid and they recovered Kevyn around midnight in an airport parking lot. Steve later learned that the assailants forced Kevyn into an
inappropriate photo shoot which they threatened to release publicly if there was an investigation into the crime. Steve was not a celebrity or even a CEO but he was critical enough to serve the purpose of the assailants.

Criticality and accessibility are not restricted to the physical security of people. They also apply to critical infrastructure and cyber security as well. Hiring a trained security professional to analyze and optimize the information that can be found on the open web is a necessity because the internet is the primary source of general information for criminals. For example, the children’s sports teams, game schedules, locations, and times can usually be found online. This information cannot always be restricted but having the awareness of its existence allows security teams to accurately assess the risk and reduce the impact of vulnerabilities. When analyzing the relationship between the two, it is important to recognize that risk lies where criticality and accessibility intersect. Although these two are truly relevant factors in assessing risk, they are not enough by themselves to properly identify and understand entire picture. The other elements of the CARVER model are also important for creating a comprehensive risk profile. I would recommend hiring an experienced, licensed, and reputable security company to perform an Executive Security Risk Assessment and explain the details of their findings.

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David Hobson, MBA is a project manager for LaSorsa and Associates, and former US Army Airborne Infantryman.

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We will have various instructor-led seminars over the coming months designed to be about gear and how we (LaSorsa and Associates) use it to optimize efficiency and improve case solvability

Covered topics include:
• Go-Bags and contents
• Cameras
• Mobile apps
• Tools and gadgets
• Communications
• Vehicle equipment
• And more, based on interest and questions

This seminar is expected to last 30 min to 1 hour. This webinar is free. See our Training Schedule and Locations here: /training-schedule-registration/

Register Here: https://forms.gle/6peGY7vrFErCKmfHA

Let me know if you have any questions – jml@lasorsa.com
For Training Courses see here: /training-courses/

Streamlight has some great options, and due to the fact I tend to misplace and lose such things often, I really appreciate their affordability. From left to right in the featured picture:

MicroStream Pocket Light 

This light is a fantastic option if you want a miniscule light that weighs about as much as cigarette and is thin enough that you will forget it is even in your pocket. It is great for daily use, however it is only 45 lumens open a single AAA battery, which is likely not enough for most defensive purposes. As light and small as it is, many even use it as a secondary light for common tasks and carry a much brighter main beam. There is also a USB charging variant which offers 250 lumens on high mode.

Read more: https://www.streamlight.com/en/products/detail/index/microstream

Stylus Pro USB PenLight

Very similar to the MicroStream, this light is very thin and super easy to carry. It offers an effective 350 lumens which I think it ideal for general purpose, including defensive purposes.

Read more: https://www.streamlight.com/products/detail/index/stylus-pro-usb
For Training Courses see here: /training-courses/

ProTac 1L-1AA EDC 

This light has the benefit of small size and weight while maintaining a very useful output of 350 lumens when using a CR123. The unique features and benefits of this light are it can also use a standard AA battery and although it comes with three modes to click through, however you can program it to one mode – making it even better when set to high mode only, IMO. The tail switch is a very useful momentary on and with a deliberate press-click, constant on.

Read more: https://www.streamlight.com/en/products/detail/index/protac-1l-1aa

MacroStream USB EDC 

This is my new favorite EDC option. It boats 500 lumens on High mode, easy operation tail cap with a second press for a low mode (50 lumens), and USB charging. Ideally sized, IMO, for pocket carry as it is small enough to easily fit in your pocket, but large enough to be a good defensive fist fill. Also, no sharp beveled edges to cut through your suit pants. I am very happy with this design so far.

Read more: https://www.streamlight.com/en/products/detail/index/macrostream-usb

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9 Day Executive Protection Training Program
Hotels, All Materials and Ground Transportation Included

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Joseph M. LaSorsa, CPP® is currently a senior partner managing and conducting: Protective Operations Training Courses, Executive Protection & Bodyguard Services, Risk Management Consultations & Seminars, Security Expert Witness Testimony, Workplace Violence Prevention Seminars & Intervention Services, Security Consultations & Seminars, Private Investigations and Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures with LaSorsa & Associates – an International Protection, Investigations & Consulting Firm.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmlasorsa

For Training Courses see here: /training-courses/

Pictured above is a typical go bag loadout for a surveillance assignment. Contents include:

• Sony Video Camera HDR-CX900/B
• Nikon Coolpix P900
• Canon SX620
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GEAR REVIEW: THE BEST SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
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• Notepad with pencil and pen
• Voice recorder
• Solar battery charger
• IR viewer and IR Chem lights
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PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR TRAINING COURSE
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• Mobile Device Camera Lens Kit
• Two GPS Trackers – http://www.wilsongps.com/
• Stick of sidewalk chalk (for marking tire position, etc.)
• Pen camera
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Joseph M. LaSorsa, CPP® is currently a senior partner managing and conducting: Protective Operations Training Courses, Executive Protection & Bodyguard Services, Risk Management Consultations & Seminars, Security Expert Witness Testimony, Workplace Violence Prevention Seminars & Intervention Services, Security Consultations & Seminars, Private Investigations and Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures with LaSorsa & Associates – an International Protection, Investigations & Consulting Firm.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmlasorsa

Executive Protection Training Programs

Advice for dealing with reporters:

Avoid written communication – just don’t respond. Don’t answer or return calls, but if caught on the phone – with an even, calm voice/tone say:

“I do not have the information or ability to answer that question and I have no further comment on the matter.  I also do not give my permission to use my name, my likeness or any quotes as I have not offered any.” 
For Training Courses see here: /training-courses/
Things to consider: 

• Reporters will sneak in questions and do not need to disclose what is ‘on the record’ or ‘off the record’ so be careful with every word you say and only say what you don’t mind being recorded or used in an article. 
• Reporters do not need permission to name you or use anything you write or say. 
• Reporters will lie to get you to agree or give comment. (I.E. “we spoke to your associates and they all confirmed you were involved…”)
• Do not forget: Assume everything you say is being recorded.

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Read More: Recording Laws Per State

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What about “Privileged Communication” as a Private Investigator?

Federal Case Law on non-attorneys being protected under the attorney client privilege: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, APPELLEE v. LOUIS KOVEL, DEFENDANT-APPELLANT

In which an accountant leveraged such privilege and did not answer questions relating to client communications as they were privileged under attorney-client privilege because the information/advice was supporting court proceedings. 

“The assistance of these agents being indispensable to his work and the communications of the client being often necessarily committed to them by the attorney or by the client himself, the privilege must include all the persons who act as the attorney’s agents.” 8 Wigmore, Evidence, § 2301; Annot., 53 A.L.R. 369 (1928)

Attorney-client privilege is not typically extended to third party consultants, which is the standard arrangement when hiring a private investigator. However, if the communication between a client or attorney and his private investigator is for the express purpose of obtaining advice or discussing strategy for a case at hand, then a private investigator does receive attorney-client privilege. Most of the work provided by a private investigator will fall under attorney work-product – a privilege under an attorney’s guidance of strategy, theory, notes and communication to and from others. Work-product privilege allows attorneys to prepare for a case knowing the opposing side cannot have access to their files.

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Joseph M. LaSorsa, CPP® is currently a senior partner managing and conducting: Protective Operations Training Courses, Executive Protection & Bodyguard Services, Risk Management Consultations & Seminars, Security Expert Witness Testimony, Workplace Violence Prevention Seminars & Intervention Services, Security Consultations & Seminars, Private Investigations and Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures with LaSorsa & Associates – an International Protection, Investigations & Consulting Firm. https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmlasorsa

Budget is always a concern, and so is the need for quality, hence sharing our experiences is aimed at saving you money. To those points, below we have various models ranging from $200 to approximately $1,200.

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Private Investigator Training Course

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Canon SX620

First, note that the SX730 is shown in the image on this post, however the model with the best value/functionality is the SX620, in our opinion. This camera is a great option for not just the value, but for the utility of being the smallest of these options, making it very handy. With the versatility of a powerful 25x Optical Zoom, optimized image stabilization, and built-in Wi-Fi which lets you transfer them to your compatible devices, quality images via a 20.2 Megapixel sensor and inexpensive, usb charging options.

Check it out here on Amazon

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Nikon COOLPIX P900

As the product description says, “The zoom power of the Nikon COOLPIX P900 is nothing short of spectacular.”  This camera, while noticeably larger than the Canon, is definitely going to become your go-to option for extended range shots. It has pretty much all of the same features, plus the 83x optical zoom.

Check it out here on Amazon

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Sony HDR-CX900/B

The Sony boasts broadcast-quality HD video during the day, and industry leading night-time (lowlight) recording with an IR illuminator. If you are going to need ‘after hours’ video, this is your camera. This is likely due to “The 1″ Exmor R CMOS sensor is approximately 8x larger than that of typical camcorders, allowing you to capture cinematic images with shallow depth-of-field for defocused backgrounds.”

Check it out here on Amazon

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Fujifilm X-T20

Check it out here on Amazon

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Joseph M. LaSorsa, CPP® is currently a senior partner managing and conducting: Protective Operations Training Courses, Executive Protection & Bodyguard Services, Risk Management Consultations & Seminars, Security Expert Witness Testimony, Workplace Violence Prevention Seminars & Intervention Services, Security Consultations & Seminars, Private Investigations and Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures with LaSorsa & Associates – an International Protection, Investigations & Consulting Firm. https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmlasorsa

What many people don’t know is that Google has very specific search tools and term modifiers for just about everything you may want to search for or eliminate from your search. So if you’re not getting the results you want from Google, read the tips below to help you get relevant results.

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Search for an Exact Phrase

One of the simplest and most effective tricks is to search for an exact phrase by putting it in quotes. This will yield results with the same words in the same order as what’s in the quotes.

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Eliminate Words

Eliminate irrelevant words that may come up in a search, such as the notable college baseball player that comes up when I search for my name. But if I add a minus sign in front of the word I do not want at the end of my search term, those results are eliminated.
I.E. (Joe LaSorsa -baseball)

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Specify Must-Have Words

The inverse of the above, if you want to make sure a word appears in your results, put a plus sign in front of it.
I.E. (Joe LaSorsa +baseball)

Search for a File

If you are searching for a specific kind of file, restrict your results to only that by adding (filetype:) in front of the desired option at the end of your search term.
I.E. (filetype: ppt)

–Find Keywords in Certain Sites

This function tells Google to search only a particular website. Put “site:” in front of the option at the end of your search term.
I.E. (executive protection training site:lasorsa.com)

Find Similar Terms 

Not sure of exactly the phrase you need to search? Then use this modifier by adding a tilde (~) to a search term will return related terms.
I.E. (~assassination)

Search a Phrase, but not an Exact Phrase

Want to make sure both words are near each other but not necessarily next to each other or in a specific order? Use the AROUND(#) modifier and use a number to specify the proximity.
I.E. (assassination AROUND(4) American)

Track flight status

Simply put in your search the airline code and flight number (AA567 shown for American Airlines Flight 567) and there it is…and it is very up to date information, sometimes even faster than what is updated on the Airline’s app.

–Convert currency, metrics, bytes, and more

Curious at what the exchange rate of currency is an another country or how many decimeters in a yard? Google it…

Google News & Blogs

If you are looking for news article or within blogs, specifically, simply click the ‘News’ tab and you can also add functions simply by then selecting ‘Tools’ and selecting ‘All News’ or ‘Blogs’ and even sorting by date or relevance.

–Google News Archives

A little known resource it the News Archives going back to the mid-1880s from newspapers around the world.  https://news.google.com/newspapers

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Google Image Search and Sourcing

Want to know where a picture came from or where else it has been posted? Use the camera button on Google Images (open Google and click ‘Images’) and search a saved image and your results will include similar images on the web.

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Find Faces in Google

If you want to find out what someone looks like, add (&imgtype=face) to the end of your image search to only include images of faces in your results. Try it out with your name…

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Google Alerts

If you search for something regularly, or plan to, utilize Google Alerts which uses the same modifiers yet makes it a daily, weekly, etc. search automatically, straight to your email, for free with a gmail account.

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Google Search Settings and Tools

On a desktop/laptop, you utilize the “Settings” and “Tools” options for very useful filters and search parameters, such as the time the results war published (within the last 24 hours, for example) or the language, etc. If on a mobile, specifically an iPhone, you can request the desktop site from the options to do the same. See image:

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Joseph M. LaSorsa, CPP® is currently a senior partner managing and conducting: Protective Operations Training Courses, Executive Protection & Bodyguard Services, Risk Management Consultations & Seminars, Security Expert Witness Testimony, Workplace Violence Prevention Seminars & Intervention Services, Security Consultations & Seminars, Private Investigations and Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures with LaSorsa & Associates – an International Protection, Investigations & Consulting Firm.

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I have been a long time user of Rain-X products, such as the original glass water repellants but also their wiper blades and glass cleaners. However, I became aware of Adam’s Glass Sealant from someone I trained with last year (Nate Braden) and as I am always looking to challenge my gear/tactics with new ideas, I quickly ordered some and gave it a try.

Instantly, I found the product to be harder to apply then Rain-X and was slightly turned off, but once I got it applied as instructed, the splashed the windows and was duly impressed. I then soiled them, let it dry, and then watched as it sprayed right off with a hose and dried clean. As per the initial performance, my interest was peaked so I also applied a fresh coat of Rain-X to another vehicle and marked time for a side by side test.

Vehicle Security Tips: How to Stay Off the ‘X’

My satisfaction with the Adam’s Glass Sealant continued for about a month, …yes a whole month. On about the 5th week, performance deteriorated slightly but continued to be effective until about 6+ weeks. Rain-X performed satisfactorily for about 7-10 days before I was anxious to apply again.

As per the informal test, Rain-X is a great product for those who are looking for an easy to apply glass water repellant, and I continue to travel with the small bottle for use on rental cars, etc. The Adam’s Glass Sealant offers superior performance and lasts longer, but takes a dedicated application process to achieve those results, so I use it on dedicated vehicles.

Thanks for reading, I hope this helps! Stay gray. – JML

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Joseph M. LaSorsa, CPP® is a senior partner managing and conducting: Protective Operations Training Courses, Executive Protection & Bodyguard Services, Risk Management Consultations & Seminars, Workplace Violence Prevention Seminars & Intervention Services, Security Consultations & Seminars, Private Investigations and Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures with LaSorsa & Associates – an International Protection, Investigations & Consulting Firm.
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Protective Intelligence: Modern Tools for a Traditional Task – Circuit Magazine