ASIS v. BEPP et al (Trolls included)

Unless you were in your bunker over the holiday weekend, you know the Executive Protection industry was inundated with conversations about ASIS International filing a preemptive lawsuit against the Board of Executive Protection Professionals (BEPP) in Las Vegas.? I will discuss the litigation later, but this short discussion is about the onslaught of misinformation that followed the filing. While the response for the BEPP has been overwhelmingly supportive, a handful of comments were misinformed and factually incorrect.? I don’t know when LinkedIn became Facebook, but the Tactical Troll crowd (you’re welcome Kent Moyer ) was out in force.? Dispelling misinformation takes time, but without correction there is ignorance, and we could all do with a little less of that.? To steal a Mark Twain quote "If you don’t read LinkedIn, you are uninformed; if you do read LinkedIn, you are misinformed." ?(see what I did there?).?

Troll #1:? (based on a real person) Is a Restaurant Manager but an expert on all things EP-related (just ask him). Troll #1 argued that the BEPP was self-serving just like ASIS and was victimizing an industry he doesn’t operate in.? He was very mad and very misinformed and refused to read anything that is publicly available but enjoyed arguing facts. His Troll skills were Jedi level and he argued every truth to nauseum. ?

a.????? The BEPP does not pay any Board Member, Special Advisor or Committee Member.? They have not and DO NOT benefit financially from the production of the new ANSI - American National Standards Institute Standard for Executive Protection.? As a Not for Profit, all financials for the BEPP are available online on their website at HOME | EP Board.? ASIS and the IPSB do not publish their financials.?? No one associated with the BEPP receives any financial benefit from their participation in creating industry standards.? The BEPP DOES NOT accept donations or financial support from Training Schools whose sole purpose is Executive Protection Training (despite numerous offerings).? They also do not allow advertising for these groups at the annual conference in June ESOC 2025 | ESOC.?

b.????? The annual conference for executive protection professionals produces limited financial returns because the BEPP spends ALL monies received on the attendees.? To offset financial costs for the administration of the BEPP, they have published the very popular Executive Protection Advance and Logistics Guide The Executive Protection Advance and Logistics Guidebook | EP Board.? The authors of this guide do not financially benefit from it at all.? Like all products of the BEPP, it was made "for" the industry to benefit the industry.? The nominal cost of the book is primarily for production expenses.? The BEPP has also published the largest FREE online resource page for Executive Protection Professionals at EP Resources | EP Board.?

Troll #2:? “The BEPP doesn’t like PSD training or my training school” (I’m paraphrasing because the argument was long, involved some sort of roid rage, and was generally confusing).?

a.????? ?I don’t represent the BEPP, and like many, I just volunteer.? Three years ago when I began volunteering, I observed that many “EP Training Academies” accepted GI Benefits for substantial tuition fees.? As the end of the War on Terror was looming, many disenfranchised combat veterans were seeking meaningful employment and were naturally drawn to protective services.? “Some” of these "schools" created courses that are cleverly marketed as EP training but are PSD training.? There is a very big difference, but to the unknowing young veteran or new EP candidate, it's a hard financial lesson to learn. ?I’ve written several articles on this topic, but the bottom line is DO YOUR RESEARCH.? If you see guys jumping out of trucks with M4s in a promotional video, you're not doing EP, you’re doing PSD.? If that’s what you want, great, but if you plan on working in a corporate position, that “Online”, “Master Class”, "Resource Management" or “Hard Skills” course you’re paying a ton of money for is as worthless as the paper it’s written on.? I have never met a single person in any corporate EP position in a Fortune 100 company who has graduated from this type of training.? That said, no one associated with the BEPP is opposed to this training as long as it’s not advertised as EP training.??

Troll #3:? “You guys are no better than ASIS or the IPSB.”?

a.????? I’d refer you to Troll #1, but the argument has nuances.? ASIS embarked on creating standards for EP in 2016 with the EP Counsel.? Rebranding in ASIS created "communities" but the effort to move an EP standard forward was abandoned. The BEPP took up the mantle to make a U.S. national standard and in 2024, after several years of work under ANSI guidelines, the BEPP sought to partner with the International Protective Security Board and ASIS.? The partnership was intended to create industry cohesiveness.? Both the IPSB and ASIS refused to partner in writing.? Recently, ASIS and the IPSB entered into their own partnership.? While the reason for this partnership is debatable, the leadership of both organizations at the time were the same people.? To be clear, the BEPP made several attempts to include both organizations and were declined.? Four years ago, after the BEPP initiated the process with ANSI to create a standard for EP, ASIS filed a formal complaint with ANSI stating they should be awarded the EP standard development. ANSI disagreed with this argument and awarded standard development to the BEPP.?

b.????? The BEPP could fight the suit filed by ASIS.? The BEPP would also probably win.? You may have a lot of money from member fees, but you simply can’t argue that educated adults don’t know the difference between “CPP” and “CEPP.”? While the premise is ridiculous, the BEPP would rather spend its money (as limited as it is) on progressing the industry and finishing the standard.? ?Some of the Trolls communicated that the appearance of the BEPP not fighting the filing was an admission of wrongdoing.?? This is simply not the case. ASIS had previously filed a Cease and Desist notice for the use of the CEPP name about a year ago and the BEPP simply ignored it because ASIS doesn’t own the English language.? I’m sure they see some benefit in spending member fees to promote their David and Goliath efforts, but at the end of the day, the “standard” is the rock.? I still have hope the IPSB (under new leadership) will see the benefit of partnering with the BEPP, but ASIS has drawn a line in the sand.?

Troll #4: This is the most dangerous Troll.? They quietly promote their own “licensed process”, “book that has nothing new in it” or “online class” to separate you from your money.? They “like” or “light bulb” other Troll comments frequently from the safety of their lairs while devising ways to have meetings with their Troll kingdom to plan your inevitable downfall.? These are the future "rock throwers" who neither participate nor contribute for any reason.? As mentioned, there is no money in it, and that eliminates about half of these Trolls outright.? They're too busy building their brand, framework, or whatever supports them financially. One quarter aren’t technically proficient enough to work in the development of the BEPP standard.? It’s a pretty smart and accomplished group and participants regularly professionally correct each other.? If you're participating, you'd better bring your "A" game and have a thick skin. The final 25% are sitting back patiently waiting for the standard to drop so they can come in like crows and pick at it despite not contributing one second to its creation.? This is the Troll Army from “Coulda Shoulda Woulda” land. ?They will never be happy or like anything that benefits the industry.? This standard presents problems for this group because it puts them on notice and establishes a minimum standard they may not meet.? Some will flourish from standards, and some will not because they won't qualify.?

Regardless of what organization you belong to or where you are in the EP community, facts matter.? Be informed, be open to new ideas, and communicate without being a Troll.? ?It's okay to ask a question, but it's not okay to create your own facts and argue easily verifiable truths. The BEPP welcomes everyone in the EP community.? To this end and as a result of this lawsuit they're allowing the community to choose the new acronym for national EP Certification based on the soon-to-be-released ANSI Standard.? Cast your vote online and watch out for Trolls.