Can you imagine ordering transportation through your rideshare app, but instead of a normal driver in a Toyota Corolla pulling up like you would get with Uber or Lyft, an entire detail of armed security guards in suits and sunglasses in a black SUV with tinted windows arrives to escort you instead?
As little as a few weeks ago, such an idea would have either been a fantasy or something that you would watch on a movie or TV show.
But now it’s a reality.
Currently available on iOS devices for people in Los Angeles and New York City, the app is called “Protector” and it’s literally exactly like what we’ve described above.
As soon as you have downloaded the app, you’ll get to specify the type of guards (or ‘Protectors’) that you want based on their dress code:
- Business Formal (traditional suit with a tie)
- Business Casual (lighter suit with no tie)
- Tactical Casual (polo shirt with tactical pants)
- Operator (full-on tactical gear)
You’ll then be introduced to the guards via photos and videos where you’ll get to learn about them and their backgrounds. You’ll have to specify how many ‘Protectees’ there are (i.e. other passengers who the guards will need to protect in addition to yourself). The app allows a maximum of six ‘Protectors’ and likewise six ‘Protectees,’ and you can choose between one to three vehicles with a minimum of five hours of protection.
The primary goal of the Protectors is not just to drive you and your companions around like with a traditional rideshare service, but to keep all of you safe as well.
The armed guards who work through this app are not just randomly hired security guards either. These are men and women who have several years of experience working in tactical roles either in the military or in law enforcement. They’re no-nonsense, well-trained, acutely aware of the environment around them, and armed to the teeth with firearms and other defensive weapons…and if your life is in danger from an imminent threat they’ll defend you like the Secret Service defends the President of the United States.
So what’s the reason for this app, exactly?
Well, it’s quite simple. If you need or want private security while you’re on the go, that’s what Protector is for. It doesn’t matter if you’re a politician, a CEO of a multi-million dollar company, or just an ordinary citizen.
You don’t even have to necessarily feel like your life will for sure be in danger to book through the app either. For example, let’s say that you’re flying into LAX and plan on traveling to a hotel to stay in or are going from one event to another in Santa Clarita Valley, but you’re concerned that you could run into violent gangs or anyone else with bad intentions while en route. The gun laws of California are among the strictest in the United States, and if you’re not a California resident, it’s virtually impossible to legally conceal carry a firearm for self-defense.
So instead of packing your own firearm to defend yourself in an unlikely but still possible worst-case scenario where your life could be threatened, you could hire security guards from Protector to keep you safe while you travel from Point A to Point B to Point C and so on instead.
“Private security should be fast and easy, not clunky and stressful,” said Nick Sarath, the CEO and founder of Protector.
You’ve probably already assumed that none of this is exactly cheap, and you’d be right. The cheapest booking option is to hire one Protector in one car at a minimum of five hours, which would come out to $1,000. The more Protectors, cars, and hours you hire for, the fare naturally increases. However, the app allows the cost to be split between five credit or debit cards, so you can split the expenses with your other Protectees if you’d like.
Additionally, to use the app you must pay an annual membership fee of $129 and book at least 24 hours in advance. A same-day booking option for an additional cost is being planned but has not been released yet.
Something else that’s being planned by Protector is a similar app called Patrol. This platform will allow entire neighborhoods to fund and coordinate community patrols for security purposes as well.
This means that Protector will be just the start of a multi-tiered approach to making private security more accessible to everyday citizens. The company plans on adding more cities to the app in the future as well.
You’re probably more than familiar with the phrase “there’s an app for that.”
Well, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you’d like a private vehicle or motorcade with armed bodyguards to escort you, there’s an app for that too!
