On February 6, 2019, a team of Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) special agents and an investigative specialist from the DSS Denver Resident Office trained Denver marshals in dignitary protection at the request of the chief security officer for Denver city and County.
The training consisted of classroom briefings and exercises in escort motorcade and walking movements, staged events and rope lines, and site surveys and advances. Marshals learned the fundamental principles of protective operations and how they are applied to different scenarios. Participants also viewed and discussed video footage of attacks on protective details, and through a protective agent and a protectee role-playing, they gained an appreciation for the complexities of dignitary protection. The training concluded with an exercise where marshals practiced what they had learned in the classroom and received feedback from DSS instructors.
Many of the marshals said the training changed their understanding of and approach to dignitary protection. The chief security officer for Denver city and County remarked that the training was a first for the Denver marshals and an important first step in establishing a professional cadre of local officers capable of performing dignitary protection at the highest level.
“This training event demonstrates DSS’ status as a premier law-enforcement agency in protective operations and its value to the wider law enforcement community,” said Special Agent Henri Albert, one of the lead trainers.
The February training was the first in a series of events planned by the Denver Resident Office and the city and County of Denver to develop the protection skills of local law enforcement and strengthen the cooperative relationship between DSS and the local law enforcement community. Additional training is planned for the Denver Police Department and the Denver mayor’s security detail, followed by progressively advanced training as Denver builds its protective operations capacity.
“This partnership will pay dividends in the future as we rely on each other to carry out Diplomatic Security’s core protective mission in the region,” said Supervisory Special Agent Angela Brenner, the Resident Agent in Charge for Denver.
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