The rise of income inequality in the United States, with the rich accumulating greater and greater proportions of the nation’s wealth, has created opportunities for ex-military and police to become guardians of the upper strata.

 

According to an exposé in Mother Jones, executive protection (EP) has been a growing industry since the 1980s, which just so “happens to be the same period during which the top 1% of U.S. earners nearly tripled their annual income.”

 

One bodyguard outfit that’s done well for itself is The World Protection Group Inc. (WPG), with offices in Beverly Hills, New York, and Mexico City. The firm has protected Washington politicians and members of the Saudi royal family, but these days, it garners most of its business from watching over wealthy individuals and corporate executives.

 

The EP industry really picked up after the fall of the World Trade Center towers; WPG’s sales soared 40% to 50% after the attacks.

 

Another, more recent dark episode in American history also helped enrich elite bodyguards: The 2008 financial meltdown and subsequent bank bailout. With millions thrown out of work and/or their homes, anger and resentment has grown among the populace.

 

“When executives are revealed on television with bonuses they become a target,” Eden Mendel, director of security consulting at Kroll, a risk advisory firm, told the Financial Times.

 

A survey of executives by the American Society for Industrial Security found that nearly 80% agreed that “the need for security has increased in the current economic climate.”

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

These Guys Will Stop You From Killing Your Boss (by Josh Harkinson, Mother Jones)