Tony Scotti's Vehicle Dynamics Institute

Articles

Making Sure They Get it Right the First Time and Every Time
Finding the Right Transportation Provider

By Joe Autera

Today, finding the right transportation provider is becoming even more complicated as a shifting economy and negative media attention have raised the profile and increased the security risks for many corporations and their executives while, at the same time, budgets are being cut and cost saving measures are being implemented across the board. All of this places an even greater importance on ensuring that contract ground transportation providers are not the weak link in your security program and that your company is getting what it pays for.

Regardless of whether risk management (security) or cost effectiveness is the driving factor in the decision making process, given what’s at stake – the safety and security of some of the company’s valuable assets – the need for a formal vetting process for transportation providers has never been greater. When properly documented, the results of such a process will prove useful in identifying which provider truly offers the better value, as opposed to the best price. Read full article...

Hindsight is Indeed 20/20
Why Case Studies are Such a Vital Tool

By Mary Beth Wilkas

As security professionals, we have a duty that extends beyond the actual protection we provide, one that encompasses a need to scrutinize even the most minute details of an incident, whether it was a threat which was interdicted or an attack that was successful, and glean those lessons learned that will ultimately ensure that similar incidents are better protected against. With every tragedy and potential tragedy that occurs due to a breach in protection protocol, an opportunity exists for a case study to be created and analyzed. As fellow protectors, we have a profound responsibility to reflect upon the mistakes made by fellow security practitioners and the ability to make the changes necessary in how we operate so that the same mistakes or miscues do not place our protectees, or those of us responsible for their safety, in harm’s way unnecessarily. Read full article...

The Other Sides of Security Driver Training
Adopting the Proper Mental Attitude

By Nancy Stek

Beyond knowing “what to do” and applying skills and techniques to maximize vehicle performance, the driver must adopt a specific mental attitude. This attitude supports a driver’s ability to manage stress while responding to an imminent threat. This attitude is an essential part of the “tool kit” security drivers need to have at the ready whenever they’re behind the wheel. The blending of personal skills sometimes referred to as “the inner game”, and driving skills or “the outer game”, is absolutely essential for security drivers who seek to consistently perform at the top of their game when it counts the most – when their lives and the lives of their passengers are on the line. And yet, it has been largely ignored by both drivers and trainers. Read full article...

You May Not Always Get What You Pay For
Selecting the Right Training Provider

By Jerry Lucas

Whether you are a freelance protection specialist, corporate security manager or a training officer in a law enforcement agency, there are far more training opportunities out there than there are dollars in the training budget. Determining which course or provider is the right one for you is an age-old challenge and, unfortunately, making the right decision has gotten even more difficult as the number of training providers and programs being offered continues to grow on what seems like a daily basis. As with most problems, finding the right answer requires knowing the right questions to ask. Read full article...

A Tale of Two Attacks
An Objective Look at Recent Vehicle Ambushes

By Anthony J. Scotti and Joseph Autera

Just how important is it for a Protective Detail Leader or Security Manager to be able to recognize the indicators and warnings associated with various threats and understand the capabilities of potential attackers? The answers can be found by taking a closer look at two recent attacks. One was unsuccessful and not very widely publicized while the other was successful and made headlines around the world for a short period of time. Read full article...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Is an SUV the Right Vehicle for Your Principal?

By Larry Side

Just the other day we received a call from yet another client that is considering replacing the sedans they currently use for executive transportation with SUV’s. After talking with their Security Manager for nearly an hour and discussing everything from daily operating costs to the life expectancy of tires and whether their drivers would require additional in order to safely operate these vehicles, it was clear that they were seriously considering this change and close to making a final decision. What was also clear from this call and some of the others we have received lately is that the SUV is no longer just seen as the follow vehicle of choice for security details that have the need and budget for a second vehicle. Today, these trucks – well that’s what we used to call them – are being looked at as a serious alternative to the four door sedans that have been the first choice in executive transportation for many years. Read full article...

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