Presidents aren’t the only ones who are protected by security details. Celebrities and other high-profile dignitaries get their own as well.
But who exactly are those inconspicuous, well-dressed men and women wearing dark sunglasses and earpieces? They’re most likely personnel from security companies like ProTac Private Security, which formed in 2015 with the combined skills of Bruce Thompson and Sonny Brasile. The company is located in Old Orcutt and provides service from Oxnard to Paso Robles.
At the helm of training is Thompson, ProTac’s chief operations officer. He’s directly responsible for the management and training of dozens of security officers within the company.
Officer skills include training in active shooter scenarios, close protection, handgun safety, and a slew of other security-related topics. With this training, Thompson said ProTac personnel are capable of handling event security—like concerts and sporting events, security for construction sites, hostile terminations and workplace violence, crowd control, secure transport, and vineyard/ranch security, among other capabilities.
Thompson has nearly three decades of experience (27 years to be exact) in high-risk close protection for royalty, executives, and celebrities in the film and music industry.
Highlights include providing security for some notable rock bands, including System of a Down for five years and working as Linkin Park’s director of security for a decade. Other clients include Sony and Warner Bros. Music.
He has worked in high-risk security for 17 years, living and working in various corners of the Earth—including Saudi Arabia, London, and Spain.
He originally moved from Los Angeles to Orcutt in 2012 because security options are limited on the Central Coast.
Recently, however, Thompson has taken a step back from high-stakes security to spend more time with his family.
“I was always working or traveling so I decided to travel less for my family’s sake,” Thompson said.
For the past four years, he’s provided service locally for events such as the Spring Arts Festival in Lompoc, festivals at the Santa Maria Fairpark, and the SLO Jazz Festival, among others.
According to Thompson, quality service and the level of training distinguish ProTac from other security companies. Many of his officers are former law enforcement or veterans. And they’re always training, which Thompson said allows them to provide a higher level of service. He wants his company to be known as the best security provider in the area.
ProTac has approximately 60 security officers but hopes to have more than 80 trained by Jan. 1, 2017.
There is virtually nothing ProTac can’t handle, Thompson said.
“Nothing is really beyond our capabilities because of my versatile background,” Thompson said. “We can do pretty much anything. We will purpose-train if necessary.”
ProTac Private Security is located at 1130 E. Clark Ave., suite 150-172 in Orcutt. For more information, call (818) 681-1765 or email Thompson at bruce@protacsecurity.com.
Highlights
• Blue Sky Property Management is the newest company of its kind in Lompoc. Blue Sky will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony along with a mixer on Dec. 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. at its Lompoc office located at 418 North H St., suite A. No RSVP is required and there is no fee to attend.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Nov 17-24, 2016.