About Us

In 1978 the Executive Protection Institute (EPI) was Founded

The Founder was Dr. Richard W. Kobetz. He created the world renowned Providing Executive Protection Program.

As a Police Commander in Chicago, Dr. Kobetz worked with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to develop training programs on protection. Dr. Kobetz then co-authored “Target Terrorism: Providing Protective Services.” 

Based on the book and the broad need for training, Dr. Kobetz created professional protection programs — first for the IACP, and then for the Executive Protection Institute.

We created The first credential-ready executive protection training

EPI and Dr. Kobetz set the standard for executive protection training, transforming the limited “bodyguard” approach into a true profession.

Dr. Kobetz created the “Personal Protection Specialist (PPS)” title that the Commonwealth of Virginia has adopted.

EPI was the first program to provide graduates with the opportunity to obtain an Official State Credential.

In 1994, Virginia developed training standards based on our “Providing Executive Protection Program.”

To this day, EPI not only meets, but also exceeds the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Standards.

We seek to train motivated, dedicated individuals who are sincerely interested in learning how to provide the very best personal protection services and make a deep commitment to this profession.