Bodyguard: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What bodyguard is

A bodyguard provides close personal protection for a client, planning routes, assessing risks and staying near the client at events, while traveling or in daily life. People hire close protection when a credible threat exists, when they are a public figure or when a situation calls for a trained person at their side.

Signs you need it

  • You have received threats or a pattern of harassment that police have taken seriously
  • You are a public figure or high profile person attending events where you need controlled access
  • You are traveling to a location where your risk is higher and you need route planning and a trained escort
  • Your family or staff have been followed or targeted, and you need someone to manage that risk
  • You are attending a high risk event and need a protection plan agreed before you arrive

What the pro does

  • Assess the threat, your routine, your home and your planned movements with you
  • Plan the routes, the arrival and departure times, the venues and the backup options
  • Coordinate with venue staff, drivers and any police or security already involved
  • Stay near you during the planned activities and watch for risks in the surroundings
  • Brief you and your team on the protection plan and the steps to take in an emergency
  • Send you a written debrief of each assignment and recommendations for the next one

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • The length of the assignment and the number of days or hours of close protection
  • Whether the work is local or involves travel to other cities or countries
  • How many people must be protected and whether family members or staff are included
  • The level of threat, which changes the planning, the staffing and the equipment needed
  • Whether a vehicle, driver or advance team is part of the assignment
  • How much route planning and venue advance work the assignment requires

What a written quote should spell out

  • The dates, locations and the level of protection planned
  • The staffing, including the number of protection officers and their roles
  • The threat assessment, and who prepared it
  • The vehicles, equipment and advance work included
  • The licenses and insurance held by the company and each officer

Questions to ask before you hire

  • Are your officers licensed for personal protection in this location?
  • How do you assess the threat, and how will that change the plan?
  • Who do I contact on the day, and how do you coordinate with my staff?
  • What do your officers do if there is an attack or a crowd problem?
  • What background checks and training do your officers complete?
  • How do you keep my schedule, location and family details confidential?

Red flags

  • Cannot show the licenses and insurance for the officers who would protect you
  • Wants to share your schedule or location with third parties without your written consent
  • Offers protection without a threat assessment or route plan
  • Promises that you will be completely safe

What you can do yourself

Do not try to protect yourself from a specific credible threat by confronting it. Report threats to the police, keep a record of each threat with dates and details, and vary your routine and routes where you can. Hire a close protection company when the threat is credible, when you travel to higher risk places or when a trained team must plan your movements.

Licenses and permits

Personal protection work is commonly licensed, and rules are set by each state or local licensing agency. Check with that agency for the license and the registration that apply where the officers will work, and ask the company for proof of each officer's current license.

Bodyguard questions

Can a bodyguard carry a weapon?

That depends on the license, the authorization and the law where the work happens. Ask the company to show the authorization for each officer and for each location.

Does a bodyguard replace the police?

No. Protection officers work with law enforcement, not in place of it. Tell the police about any credible threat, and ask the officers how they coordinate with them.

How much notice do I need to give?

Give as much notice as you can, since a proper threat assessment, route plan and advance work take time. Confirm the timeline with the company.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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