In two of America’s biggest cities, hiring an armed former Navy SEAL to escort you on a night out is now as easy as ordering a ride to the airport or a late-night burrito.
Launched last week in New York and Los Angeles, Protector is a mobile application that allows users to hire a tinted SUV to pick them up. The key difference is the person behind the wheel happens to be “an active or veteran law enforcement, military, or special forces expert” and their primary function is not to taxi you around, but to keep you safe.
“Protector is a revolutionary personal security app that enhances personal protection and makes private security available to the general public in an on-demand fashion,” the company explains in its iOS and Mac App Store listing.
Or, as product advisor Nikita Bier said on X: “Uber with guns.”
Protector’s impetus is based on founder and CEO Nick Sarath’s belief that other models of securing such services are “clunky or stressful.”
“Private security should be fast and easy,” he said in a press release.
Early launch
Two days after the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last December, Protector announced it was accelerating its debut, and cited his murder in a press release.
“We rely on law enforcement to keep us safe, but they cannot be everywhere at once,” Sarath wrote. “Protector is designed to support the goals of law enforcement and will provide an accessible way for people to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
A month later, the company released a video on its X account using footage from Thompson’s murder to promote the service.
In it, a protector named Jim, a 27-year-veteran with LAPD who also spent 12 years as a Marine Corps sniper, explains how he and his peers are “trained to mitigate, eliminate and manage risk” and to “avert crisis from happening in the first place.”
He then plays out three scenarios using two stand-ins — one dressed similarly to accused Thompson killer Luigi Mangione, with a backpack over a hooded jacket — and depicts how a Protector’s presence could have potentially resulted in a different outcome
The first scene sees the operator scare off the would-be attacker and the second ends with the assailant being shot at close range. In the third, the gunman hits his target before being shot by the Protector who secures the suspect, notifies 911 and starts providing first aid to the injured client.
How does Protector work?
Users can log in and specify their requirements: how many clients (up to five), the number of SUVs (up to three) and the number of protectors.
They can then choose from a list of available agents and specify how they should be dressed for the job, choosing from one of four options: a suit and tie, a business casual suit, a polo and cargo pants, or full-on SWAT team attire.
As Jim explains in one of the videos, a protector isn’t just a bodyguard or security guard.
“We’re all law enforcement, prior military and military special operations or often both. We’re trained in tactical combat casualty care, risk mitigation, risk assessment and site assessment.
“We spent our careers heading toward danger, but we’re also ready to extract ourselves and our protectees from dangerous situations.”
Both California and New York require security professionals to be licensed and registered by the state.
The app’s LinkedIn page features more than a dozen videos in which protectors, all men, lay out their qualifications, such as Taylor, a one-time NYC cop of the year co-winner, and former U.S. Air Force para rescueman Gavin.
“Being a (para-jumper) and Protector is more than just being the guy they call when s—t has hit the fan. It’s being the guy who can remain calm in chaotic situations and guide others out of it.”
Highly-trained gunmen chauffeuring you around doesn’t come cheap, however. Rates start at US$200 hourly, but with a five-hour minimum booking, you’re in for at least $1,000 for a single SUV and agent, and that’s on top of a $129 annual membership fee.
Sarath told CBS he wants to drop the annual surcharge soon and expand the company to more large cities nationwide. Meanwhile, the company informed ABC it also plans to eliminate minimum booking time.
The software development firm will soon launch another private security app called Patrol which allows neighbourhoods to co-fund security around their community that can be tracked in real-time. Residents can also alert the provider of suspicious individuals and vehicles.
The more the neighbourhood raises, the more surveillance tools Patrol agents bring to the streets, including drone and robotic technology.
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