Greenwich CT Aug 28 2009 Black iron gates and private driveways are commonplace in Greenwich, a town that values privacy and can afford to keep outsiders at a distance.
But with hedge fund chief executives worth billions and swarms of celebrities calling Greenwich home, many people have the option to take their personal security to a completely different level.
From bodyguards packing pistols to teams of private security officers surveying backcountry estates, security companies in the area say Greenwich is a prime location for thieves to target, which also makes it a hub for wealthy clientele.
"Obviously, you have law enforcement that are there as a deterrent," said Michael Wanik, vice president of consulting and investigation for SSC Inc., a private security company based in Shelton. "However, they can't be everywhere at all times."
Wanik said that while any community can be at risk in today's world, Greenwich and the Fairfield County area in general may be a target to some because of the perception of wealth.
"In Greenwich, there may be a different kind of opportunity, maybe a different level of threat or wealth, or many times just the perception of wealth," said Wanik.
A prime example of how Greenwich residents can become targets occurred in 2003 when billionaire Edward Lampert, the chairman of Kmart and ESL Investments, was kidnapped at gunpoint from the parking garage of his Greenwich office and taken to a Days Inn in Hamden. He was released unharmed
two days later after promising to pay his captors $40,000, federal prosecutors said.
Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg said Lampert's kidnapping revealed a unique threat to Greenwich because of the wealth and stature that some people in the community hold.
"That's an example of someone who had a life event occur and now security is more of a priority," said Ridberg, noting that retired Greenwich cops were once heading up Lampert's security team. "I think wealthy people do need to be concerned that they might be targets, especially if they are high-profile, whether celebrity or business."
Due to the high concentration of wealth in town, Ridberg said the department often has to provide assistance on security details, such as when dignitaries come to town. Many people in the community also hire off-duty police officers for security.
"If a corporate executive is threatened, they may hire officers to be up on the property for a week or two," said Ridberg. "If it's a full-time gig, we would have to assign an officer who would run the job."
One of the newer private security companies in the area is Executive Protection Associates, a a company based in Greenwich that contracts out former military and law enforcement personnel for security assignments.
Stephen McLeod is executive director of the company and said he felt Greenwich was very much in need of having additional security options.
"I think the local law enforcement is the best in the country," said McLeod. "But I also think there were security breaches that needed to be tended to."
McLeod said his company offers a variety of services from trained bodyguards and drivers to surveillance and corporate espionage investigators.
"This is regarded as the nicest town in the country," said McLeod. "People have money and they want to keep it."
Simon Oram is a top-tier agent with the company and has his own New York-based security consulting firm as well. Oram was trained as a sniper in the military and ran security operations for a hedge fund.
"Generally what you are finding is people getting services depending on the threat," said Oram. "Entry level is putting an alarm on your house and security cameras. The next level is to have a driver that is trained in both defensive and offensive driving techniques."
Oram said the levels continue up to having a force of private security officers who are tactically trained to blend in and whose No. 1 goal is to protect their "principal," or client.
"Law enforcement are trained to take cover and return fire," said Oram. "Executive protection's job is to get the principal out of the way. So it's a little bit of a different mindset."
Ridberg said he knew of a "fair amount" of private security teams employed by people in town and was hoping to put together an official list in the future. Private officers, who are mainly retired cops and former military men and women, are not required to register in the town. However, according to state law, private security companies must register themselves and all their employees with the state Department of Public Safety. If they are armed, the officers must obtain a "blue card."
Ridberg said law enforcement officers are always in charge at the scene of a crime, no matter if private security officers are employed at the property or not. While Ridberg said he did not know of any instances when private security officers clashed with law enforcement, a recent string of incidents at the estate of print magnate Peter Brant put the issue of private security officers on the radar.
Police responded to Brant's North Street estate several times in June after Brant's estranged wife, supermodel Stephanie Seymour, and members of Brant's private security operations wereinvolved in a scuffle.
One security officer, Joseph Babnik, a retired cop from Carmel, N.Y., was charged with disorderly conduct after Seymour alleged he shoved her during a dispute. Babnik has pleaded not guilty. The incident revealed that Brant, who is estimated to be a billionaire, had several officers working on his property around the clock.
Ridberg said he had to call a meeting between the lawyers for Seymour and Brant because the department was expending too many resources responding to calls.
"We just felt it was not a good circumstance and endeavored to work something out," said Ridberg, noting that there had not been any problems since that time.
Another incident that sparked attention was when a bodyguard for television and film star and former Greenwich resident Rosie O'Donnell, a staunch gun-control advocate, applied for a gun permit to be authorized to carry a weapon while dropping her son off at school in 2000. O'Donnell responded by saying it was necessary to protect her son and later moved out of town after the incident ignited a firestorm of criticism.
Wanik said private security is an ever-expanding business that is continually changing with the times and becoming increasingly sophisticated.
"Now there are more professional officers who provide greater service than the old stereotype of a watchman with a thermos by his side sleeping at a guard desk," said Wanik. "It's an exciting time in the industry."
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