How to hire a bodyguard, and what to ask first

Check the license and the registrations

In Tennessee, a company providing protection for pay needs a Contract Security Company license from the Department of Commerce and Insurance, and every agent needs a guard registration card, armed or unarmed as appropriate. Both can be looked up on the state's verification site, verify.tn.gov.

Ask for the company license number and look it up yourself. For a detail, ask for the names of the agents who will be assigned and confirm their registrations are current. A firm that cannot give you a license number is not one to hire.

Check the insurance and the paperwork

Ask for a certificate of insurance showing general liability, and ask whether the policy covers armed work if armed agents are on the detail. Venues, hotels, and event producers often ask for this too, and naming them as additional insured is routine.

A written agreement should cover the scope, the rates and minimums, cancellation terms, and confidentiality. Expect a non-disclosure agreement to be offered without prompting, and read it.

Questions to ask before hiring

These questions tell you more about how a firm works than any claim on its website.

• Who will actually be on my detail, and can I meet or speak with the detail leader?
• What advance work will you do before the day, and is it included in the quote?
• Will the agents be armed, and why or why not?
• How do you handle transport between stops, and who is driving?
• What happens if an agent is sick or a date moves?
• How do you handle my information, and who in your company sees my schedule?
• Can you provide references, under NDA if needed?

Red flags

Some warning signs are common enough in this market to list.

• Name-dropping past clients. Discretion is the job; a firm that tells you who it protected will tell someone else about you
• No license number anywhere, or a vague "fully licensed" with nothing you can look up
• A toll-free or out-of-state phone number and no one who knows Nashville venues and neighborhoods
• Drone "surveillance anywhere" claims. Drone flights are restricted near stadiums, in controlled airspace, and over private property, and a serious firm plans around those rules
• Official-looking badges or government-style branding, which Tennessee law prohibits for private companies
• Pressure to book armed agents without any conversation about the actual risk

What to have ready for the consultation

The more complete the picture, the more accurate the quote and the plan. You do not need all of it, and a good firm will ask for what is missing.

• Who is being protected, and whether anyone else travels with them
• Dates, times, and every address on the itinerary, including airports or FBOs
• Any known concern: a specific person, online attention, a past incident
• Whether the principal is recognizable in public, and how they prefer protection to look
• Vehicles and drivers you already have, and any venue or hotel security contacts

How much notice to give

A week is comfortable for a single event and allows time to advance it properly. For CMA Fest in June, the CMA Awards in November, or New Year's Eve on Broadway, book as early as you can, because the experienced agents in Middle Tennessee are booked early too. Same-day requests can sometimes be staffed, and a good firm will tell you honestly when they cannot be staffed well.

Questions

Sources

• TN license verification (verify.tn.gov)
• TN Commerce & Insurance, Contract Security Company license
• TN Commerce & Insurance, can a private investigator work as a bodyguard
• TCA 62-35-134, prohibited acts
• FAA, airspace restrictions over sports stadiums
• GRS, executive protection for celebrities (on name-dropping)