Rights of a Bodyguard

The rights of a bodyguard depend upon the authority he possesses.  A Police Officer and a private citizen would have approximately the same authority to act should either witness a crime in the making.  If someone assaulted their client, their authority to act would be almost identical.  However, there is a significant difference in their rights when there is only tension and harassment.  A Policeman can legally act in behalf of the client, but a civilian bodyguard hasn’t this authority and must wait until the actual crime is committed or in the process of being committed.  But if the civilian feels there is reasonable justification to believe a crime will be committed against his client, and then he also has the legal right to act in his behalf.

Weapons present tricky and sometimes difficult problems.  Gun permits usually are not recognized from State to State.  The same is often true of Private Investigator licenses.  Therefore, if a bodyguard is protecting his client on a trip from State to State or Country to Country, it may become very difficult to stay within his legal rights; if he is found carrying a weapon illegally, he could be charged with criminal behavior.  This is another situation in which a bodyguard should research the State laws governing the transportation of weapons on his own body for the defense of his client.  Since these laws vary greatly, it is desirable to choose a bodyguard on the basis of his ability to defend his client without a weapon, since under some conditions he might not be allowed to carry one.

My next post will cover the subject of “Executive Protection”. 

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