executive protection

Glock Upgrades and Do-It-Yourself Modifications

Glock ‘Safe-Action’ pistols are arguably one of the most prolific pistols in use today by military and law enforcement organizations around the world as well as private citizens. The reasons are many and while this article is not intended to be a review of the pistol, I will list a few that are particularly noteworthy:

Functionality – A pistol should be designed to shoot, meaning the grip angle, trigger pull and reach as well as the manipulations should be simple to use, beneficial to the operation, suitable to most shooters and focus in gross motor movements. In this area, the Glock shines – the grip angle forces a natural pointing action of the wrist which tightens the wrist ligaments and tendons which help with stability and recoil; the manipulations are simple and identical across all Glock models – so whether you are carrying a subcompact 42 or full size competition 34, the functions are of the same style and location.
Reliability – It is here that the Glock not only shines but is defined. The Glock pistol is known for its reliability, consistency and dependability.
Customizing/Maintenance – Glock again shines over it competition in this category as you can easily see for yourself if you Google “Glock parts”. You will undoubtedly find more suppliers and custom shops than you care to scroll through. Additionally, a Glock armorer’s course is the easiest, most straight forward course on a weapon system that I have ever experienced. In fact, a YouTube video, punch tool and basic cleaning gear is just about all you will need to completely disassemble and maintain a Glock.

As for upgrades and customizing, I am a recovering 12 stepper when it comes to gear and weapons, admittedly. However, I have compiled a list of modest and inexpensive yet effective modifications to your Glock pistol should you choose to make your Glock a little more personal.

A side note: any recommendations I make are based on my personal experiences and preferences. In no way am I conveying that other modifications are wrong and if you do not modify your pistol that you too are wrong. I am simply discussing possible modifications and upgrades, that is all. I am a firm believer that what you do with any piece of gear designed to save your life or that of another should be your decision and your decision alone.

*Check with your employer or regulatory authority prior to altering your pistol (especially your trigger) in any way. It is also highly recommended to seek professional assistance when making any permanent modification.

Here are some upgrades and do-it-yourself modifications:

Sights – Arguably the most effective modification to a stock pistol. Changing the sights allows you to select what works for you as an individual, and that is how your purchase should be researched – what do your eyes prefer to sight in on a target? A large front dot and slotted rear? Or traditional posts? Or perhaps Night sights? Personally, I prefer night sights or at least a high-vis front sight and I would recommend Cap sights from Meprolight or night sights from Trijicon, or Zev fiber optic sights (Only the front sight is fiber optic). I highly recommend you poll your friends and shoot their pistol first (or at least experience them) if they have sights you are considering to put on your pistol.

Mag/Slide Release – These upgrades are listed because they will help you manipulate the pistol. Do I recommend them both? The answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no. These items are recommended if you find yourself having trouble with the stock setup. For example, if you can reliably eject a magazine without altering your grip then I would not recommend the extended type. However if you cannot reliably stop or release the slide with the stock setup than I would recommend the extended. Additionally, if the extended slide stop causes you to unintentionally stop or hold open the slide on the last round, then it is not recommended just as if the extended mag release causes unintentional ejection. Personally, I have the extended slide release lever (Vickers Tactical version) and the stock mag release.

Trigger – If there is another modification that will change the way you shoot as much as sights do, it is the trigger. Now with a Glock there are many different variations, styles and functions. I would recommend a modest alteration or buy a drop in kit as personally modifying a trigger is not a good idea, in my opinion. A drop in Ghost connector will help tremendously for a $20 investment, or you can go all the way up to a full drop in kit from GlockTriggers.com which has many options, or purchase a custom trigger from Zev, GlockWorx, Agency Arms or Salient Arms.

Stippling/Grinding – This modification can alter grip angle, reduce or eliminate finger grooves and can add an increased friction to the grip surface. There are many ways to do this yourself with a sand paper-wrapped wooden dowel or a rotary tool and for stippling you can use a soldering point/blade/wedge or you can ship your frame to a custom shop. With this modification, start modestly as you can always add more stippling or remove more material but the opposite isn’t so easy.

The picture above is one of the first Glocks I ever worked on or modified.

CAP sights from Meprolight, Vickers slide release.
The underside of the trigger guard is “double under-cut” which allows my middle finger of my firing hand and the middle finger of my support hand to be elevated slightly, giving a closer grip angle to the bore axis.
The front of the takedown levers has been grooved at an angle – this modification allows for downward pressure from my support thumb, which aids in recoil control/muzzle flip and also provides an index for my trigger finger when off the trigger.
The inside of the mag well has been slightly angled and smoothened to serve as a better funnel.

Joseph M. LaSorsa, CPP® is currently employed as a senior partner managing and conducting: Protective Operations Training Courses, Executive Protection & Bodyguard Services, Risk Management Consultations & Seminars, Workplace Violence Prevention Seminars & Intervention Services, Security Consultations & Seminars, Private Investigations and Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures with LaSorsa & Associates – an International Protection, Investigations & Consulting Firm.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmlasorsa

Planning a Trip? Security Tips for Traveling Abroad

Traveling abroad can be an exceptionally stressful adventure, especially when you consider your additional requirements if traveling on the job, particularly with clients. Below are some helpful tips for increasing overall security as well as convenience that should make your travel plans more enjoyable and more secure.

Sign your passport, and fill in the emergency information:
Make sure you have a signed, valid passport, and a visa if required, also fill in the emergency information page of your passport or add another page if desired.

Sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program:
You may elect to let the State Department aware of your travel plans through the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, a free online service at https://travelregistration.state.gov. This will help them contact you if there is a family emergency in the U.S., or if there is a crisis where you are traveling. In accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare and whereabouts will not be released to others without your express authorization.

Check for and Monitor Updated Travel Warnings & Alerts
The US Department of State publishes travel warnings and alerts that you to consider very carefully if you are going to a country in question. Travel Alerts & Warnings are published for events such as election seasons, unstable governments, planned demonstrations, health alerts, increased crime/violence or an elevated risk of terrorist attack.

Leave copies of itinerary and passport data page:
Leave copies of your itinerary, passport data page and visas with trusted contacts so you can be contacted in case of an emergency.

Check your overseas medical insurance coverage:
Ask your medical insurance company if your policy applies overseas and if it covers emergency expenses such as medical evacuation. If it does not, consider supplemental insurance.

Familiarize yourself with local conditions and laws:
While in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws. The State Department website at https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country.html has useful safety and other information about the countries you will visit. Check the Overseas Security Council for travel warnings-
https://www.osac.gov/

Take precautions to avoid being a target of crime:
Keep a low profile but do not travel alone and avoid identifying yourself as a traveler, especially as an American. To avoid being a target of crime, do not wear conspicuous clothing or jewelry.

Be aware of what may get you detained or arrested in another country and know what to do if it happens:
One of the highest priorities of the Department of State and the individual U.S. embassies is to provide assistance to U.S. citizens incarcerated or detained in another country. The Department of State is ready to assist incarcerated or detained citizens in accordance with international law, as well as domestic and that foreign country’s laws.
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/emergencies/arrest.html

Contact the State Department in an emergency:
Consular personnel at U.S. Embassies and Consulates abroad and in the U.S. are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide emergency assistance to U.S. citizens.
Contact info:
https://travel.state.gov
1-888-407-4747 – U.S. or Canada
202-501-4444 – Overseas

Health, What You Need to Know in Advance of Travel:
All travelers should familiarize themselves with conditions at their destination that could affect their health (high altitude or pollution, types of medical facilities, required immunizations, availability of required pharmaceuticals, etc.). While some of this information may be found in the documents listed above, the key resource for health information is the Travelers’ Health page of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website at https://www.cdc.gov/travel The CDC website also provides general guidance on health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect-bite protection.

Keep track of your flight arrangements, gate information and itinerary changes.
There are several apps you can use, such as FlightAware and FlightView. These apps (or their webpages) give you updated flight information. Another trick to this is to simply google your flight number and the updated information is presented, (results shown). FYI, this has been the method which has been the quickest in terms of updating gate information, etc. Also, FlySmart is a great app for finding what is available in airports, such as restaurants, shops and it also gives you a map of the airport.

Sign up for Rewards Programs, VIP Lounge programs.
If you are a frequent flier, and/or plan on spending a lot of time in airports, frequent flier programs, like AAdvantage and lounge programs like LoungeClub, offer excellent rewards, free checked bags, free upgrades, additional privacy, increased security during layovers and much needed convenience which may be exceptionally useful, even if you would simply rather miss the traffic on the way to the airport and arrive early. Find the program that is most effective given your expected travel plans, most plans have websites or apps where you can find lounges at destination airports, compare rewards, etc.

Joseph M. LaSorsa, CPP® is currently employed as a senior partner managing and conducting: Protective Operations Training Courses, Executive Protection & Bodyguard Services, Risk Management Consultations & Seminars, Workplace Violence Prevention Seminars & Intervention Services, Security Consultations & Seminars, Private Investigations and Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures with LaSorsa & Associates – an International Protection, Investigations & Consulting Firm.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmlasorsa

Executive Protection tools of the trade

Specialized gear and equipment is a part of any job, and protective services are no different. In fact, having a majority of individuals coming from military and law enforcement backgrounds makes it even more of an issue as practitioners tend to rely on gear more than they should, at times.

There are many options which would cover the common ‘tools of the trade’ however we will simply look at a few options I have had experience with and have become my ‘go-to’ options. For gear types, we will look at the options which facilitate beyond ‘shoot, move, communicate’ and enable a seamless integration into a corporate environment. The bottom line is that it is easy to be a ‘tactical gear nut’ but it is not easy to do so when trying to blend in and stay gray among an executive staff meeting, etc.

Before we begin, I would like to point out that every decision driving your tactics, techniques, attire, and gear should be based on your task, threat and env ironment. Having said that, my typical attire is either business attire, business casual and even sometimes casual dress. While in business attire options are a bit more limited and I go with a tuckable IWB, held by a DeSantis EconoBelt or one from Precision Holsters. In corporate environments, I prefer tuckable IWB as it affords the option of dropping the jacket if I need to without worrying about concerning everyone with an exposed weapon on my hip. Precision Holsters Ultra Carry Elite is my go-to option for this as it is a very well made and versatile holster, it allows me to conceal in comfort without worrying about any common issues with holsters such as printing, retention, irritation, balance, etc. The holster performs as it should, as you’d expect it to, plain and simple. Shown below are my weapon choices as I was recently the first one in the state to qualify with a dot on my duty weapon, so I can now carry my Zev G19 while on the job. (the requirement is to use a weapon unaltered from its purchased condition – hence a full Zev pistol checks that box).

Moving our way around the belt, I also may carry an extra mag in an IWB mag carrier from G-Code, and I will most certainly have one of my on-body medkits (small pouch shown below) which is the Individual Protective Agent’s Kit or IPAK with QuikClot, SWAT-T, gloves, band-aids and CPR shield. It is designed to have the essential components needed in order to assist in controlling massive hemorrhaging at the point of wounding to bridge the gap until advanced care can be provided. A compact and durable kit, it enables you to carry an immediately accessible trauma kit on your person where it is needed most without the tactical look or excessive size of a full kit.

I do not always carry a knife as a weapon (it is inconsistent with a suit and tie, IMO, to have a pocket knife showing or worse – to have the handle sticking out of your waistline in your Joe Banks suit…) in which cases I choose to carry a small multi-tool with a clip (Gerber Crucial) which I carry IWB in a business attire, and pocket carry in casual attire.

For communication, I prefer a field programmable radio so I can program into whatever frequencies and codes I need to and with my DMR I can even program in encryption. With communication gear, I consider tracking and coordinating as essential capabilities and for this enter your mobile device, and I commonly carry two. Always know where you are, always know where you are going, report appropriately and have a point of contact at your destination. There are many apps which are incredibly effective for these purposes; Voxer, Life360, Glympse, and Skitch to name a few.

For gear that is not on the belt, starting with the top, I have Smith Optics Elite, in which I prefer the Frontman with ChromaPop lenses. I also will carry a pen which has a stylus and flashlight built-in, a small dedicated flashlight (Streamlight 1L-1AA) and Rite-in-the-Rain note-taking gear. On my keys and on the visor of the vehicle, I have a Swisstech ‘Bodygard’ which has a window breaker and seatbelt cutter.

For a ‘go-bag’ I usually go with a The North Face Recon Backpack, with a Go-Ruck Wire Dopp with all of my charging accessories for my phone and others, headsets, duct tape/e-tape/550 cord, laptop charger, and PowerAll accessories; DMR/Analog radio and charger; Rite-in-the-Rain notebook, pens and pencils; tactical pen; flashlight; PowerAll; SwissTech Tools Bodyguard; noise cancelling earbuds, cell phone chargers, Breath of Life Masks; (If traveling internationally, I will also pack a Smoke/CO detector) Quest Protein bars; gum and cough drops; small bottle of Rain-X; tire pressure gauge; credentials and business cards. In the main pouch, I have my laptop in the interior sleeve; a clear small hygiene kit and a clear small pill pack and PX Hero “Scout” with trauma gear. For more info on the pack – Read more here

As I said above, your tactics, techniques, attire, and gear should be dependent on your task, threat and environment. Keep an open mind to new and different options and constantly challenge your tactics, techniques, and gear in order to stay ahead of the curve and at the top of your game. Lastly, you cannot train enough for a job that can kill you.

Stay gray – JML

Author – Joseph M. LaSorsa, CPP® currently employed as a senior partner managing and conducting: Protective Operations Training Courses, Executive Protection & Bodyguard Services, Risk Management Consultations & Seminars, Workplace Violence Prevention Seminars & Intervention Services, Security Consultations & Seminars, Private Investigations and Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures with LaSorsa & Associates – an International Protection, Investigations & Consulting Firm.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmlasorsa

Precision Holsters Ultra Carry Series IWB Holsters

I am frequently asked which holster I prefer. I will preface the answer with it depends on your task threat and environment, but my go-to is the Ultra Carry Elite by Precision Holsters for the following reasons:

Functionality: Excellent mechanics on the draw, excellent retention, etc.
Comfort: Leather backing makes it comfortable and it is a great size/width.
Concealabilty: A great IWB option as it is also tuckable, if necessary, as shown with a GLOCK 19.
Quality: Well built and great materials.

note: an actual draw would be much more violent and effective versus this one trying to video it, black clips hide even better with a black belt, #IPAK also visible at 6 o’clock.

The best surveillance cameras

For professional private investigators and even some in the security field, a piece of gear that seems to pile up over the years is cameras. Not only are we always searching for the next best thing, but when it comes to any type of electronic gear like cameras, the next best thing is always right around the corner. Here, we share some experiences with some of the cameras we have used in our surveillance operations over tens of thousands of hours of surveillance.

Budget is always a concern, and so is the need for quality, hence sharing our experiences is aimed at saving you money. To those points, below we have various models ranging from $200 to approximately $1,200.

Canon SX620

First, note that the Canon SX730 is shown in the image on this post, however, the model with the best value/functionality is the SX620, in our opinion. This camera is a great option for not just the value, but for the utility of being the smallest of these options, making it very handy. With the versatility of a powerful 25x Optical Zoom, optimized image stabilization, and built-in Wi-Fi which lets you transfer them to your compatible devices, quality images via a 20.2 Megapixel sensor and inexpensive, USB charging options.

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Nikon COOLPIX P900

As the product description says, “The zoom power of the Nikon COOLPIX P900 is nothing short of spectacular.” This camera, while noticeably larger than the Canon, is definitely going to become your go-to option for extended range shots. It has pretty much all of the same features, plus the 83x optical zoom.

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Sony HDR-CX900/B

The Sony HDR-CX900 boasts broadcast-quality HD video during the day, and industry-leading night-time (lowlight) recording with an IR illuminator. If you are going to need ‘after hours’ video, this is your camera. This is likely due to “The 1″ Exmor R CMOS sensor is approximately 8x larger than that of typical camcorders, allowing you to capture cinematic images with shallow depth-of-field for defocused backgrounds.”

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Fujifilm X-T20

If you need ‘show quality’ photos, the Fujifilm X-T20 offers a wide range of options for professional photographers which, after a few hours on YouTube, will enable you to take wonderfully clear photos which will dazzle the courtroom. Some of its stand-out features:

24.3MP X-Trans CMOS III APS-C sensor with no low-pass filter and X-Processor Pro
5.0Fps Live-view shooting, start-up time of 0.4sec., shutter time lag of 0.050sec. And shooting Interval of 0.25sec
3.0″ tilting Touchscreen panel for operation at almost any angle; Digital interface: USB2.0 (High-Speed) / micro USB terminal
4K video using the x series’ famous film Simulation effects (including ACROS). you can output recorded video to an external monitor via the HDMI port and input audio from an external microphone
Af-c custom settings for moving subjects.LCD monitor aspect ratio 3:2.

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Joseph M. LaSorsa, CPP® is currently a senior partner managing and conducting: Protective Operations Training Courses, Executive Protection & Bodyguard Services, Risk Management Consultations & Seminars, Security Expert Witness Testimony, Workplace Violence Prevention Seminars & Intervention Services, Security Consultations & Seminars, Private Investigations and Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures with LaSorsa & Associates – an International Protection, Investigations & Consulting Firm. https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmlasorsa

Weapons maintenance tips: Cleaners, lube and protectants

As we commonly see in firearms training, weapons maintenance is a reoccurring issue, most often due to too little or too much, in respect to both maintenance and application of products like cleaners, lube and/or protectants.

Personally, I pre-treat the applicable parts of my weapons and mags with Militec-1, clean and preserve them with RemOil, and for prepping a carry gun for use, I wipe it down and apply Rem-DriLube.

Whatever you use, make sure you test it is similar conditions to how you intend to use it. I.E. carry it for a while and then take the weapon straight to the range without any “range prep” of the weapon to see how it runs.

*Originally published on lasorsa.com and written by Joe LaSorsa