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Bodyguard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromExecutive protection)
For other uses, seeBodyguard (disambiguation).
"Executive protection" redirects here. For the film, seeExecutive Protection (film).
Not to be confused withlifeguard.
Bodyguard
Bodyguards with PresidentRonald Reaganmoments before he wasshot in March 1981
Occupation
NamesClose protection officer, executive protection agent, personal protection specialist
Occupation type
Government employmentorprivate employment
Activity sectors
Law enforcement,Government,Military,Security
Description
Related jobs
Security guard,law enforcement officer,anti-terrorism specialist,intelligence officer

Abodyguard(orclose protection officer/operative) is a type ofsecurity guard,governmentlaw enforcementofficer, or servicemember who protects animportant person or group of people,such as high-ranking public officials, wealthy businesspeople, and celebrities, from harm. The personnel team that protects a VIP is often referred to as the VIP'ssecurity detail.

Most important public figures, such asheads of state,heads of government,andgovernorsare protected by a team of bodyguards from a government agency, security forces, orpoliceforces. Less-important public figures, or those with lower risk profiles, may be accompanied by a single bodyguard who doubles as adriver.

Roles

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U.S. Secret Serviceagents guarding U.S. PresidentBarack Obama
Walter B. Slocombe,the U.S.Under Secretary of Defense for Policywith his bodyguard inBosnia and Herzegovinain 1996. The bodyguard is armed with anM16 rifle.
A team of bodyguards protecting Brazilian PresidentDilma Rousseffduringher inaugural ceremony.
Angela Merkelflanked by her bodyguards as she mingles with a crowd
Quanell X(center), the leader of theNew Black Panther Party,flanked by his bodyguards.
ACroatianclose protection unit trains usingsub-machine gunsandpistolsduring a demonstration exercise.
A bodyguard wearing an earpiece for two-way radio, so he can receive instructions.
18th centuryManchuImperial Guardof theQianlong Emperor.
TheCossacksImperator Bodyguard unit from the early 1900s.
Illustration of Japanese Imperial bodyguardWatanabe no Tsunafighting a demon

Unlike depictions in popular culture, such as the 2018 British television seriesBodyguard(2018), bodyguards are rarely involved in dramaticfirefights.[1]Instead, a bodyguard's work consists mainly of planning routes, pre-searching rooms and buildings where the client will be visiting, researching the background of people that will have contact with the client, searching vehicles, and attentively escorting the client on their day-to-day activities.[2]In the event of an emergency, a bodyguard's priority will always be to evacuate their client, not engage with threats.[1]

Osama bin Laden's personal security detail consisted of "bodyguards...personally selected by him." Their "arsenal includedSAM-7andStinger missiles,AK-47s,RPGs, andPK machine guns."[3]

See also

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toBodyguards.
  1. ^abTurk, Victoria."How realistic is Bodyguard? A real Personal Protection Officer tells all".Wired.ISSN1059-1028.Retrieved2024-04-04.
  2. ^"What's it like being a bodyguard?".BBC.April 4, 2011.Retrieved2011-04-04.
  3. ^Soufan, Ali.The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda.W.W. Norton and Company. New York and London: 2011.Page 325
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