Why Leaders and Public Figures Need a Protective Intelligence Program
Throughout recorded history, people with power or public visibility have faced a heightened risk of targeted violence. From the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE to modern figures such as Charlie Kirk in 2025 and Brian Thompson in 2024, the price of leadership and public visibility has always included exposure to people whose motives and emotional states are unknown.
That age-old risk is now amplified by a digital era and a 24-hour news cycle that increase visibility while circulating narratives and personal data at warp speed. Ideological hostility now spreads like a contagion and incubates among like-minded audiences. Most of that noise eventually fades. But every so often it contributes to conditions where someone becomes dangerous.
Meanwhile, once someone forms violent intentions, they can gather most of the information needed to plan an attack without ever leaving their home. Event details, schedules, locations, and venue layouts are routinely published online. Most residential property records are searchable. Executive compensation is disclosed through public filings. And a robust ecosystem of data brokers further aggregates personal information into searchable databases.
Make no mistake. Leadership or life in the public eye means someone is always watching. Some are supportive. Many are ambivalent. Others are critics. And a few may actually want to harm you. The only real question is: Who is watching them?
That is the purpose of protective intelligence.
Protective intelligence programs collect and analyze threat-related information to understand who may pose a risk and why. A well-rounded program does three essential things.
First, it looks for early warning signs that a person or situation may warrant attention. These can include angry or threatening messages, unhealthy fixation on a person or event, repeated attempts to gain access, or hostile narratives that target a leader, their organization, or their ideas.
Second, it evaluates what those signs actually mean. Many expressions of anger or criticism never progress beyond words or online chatter. Evaluation helps separate the noise from signals that demand attention.
Third, it helps guide appropriate responses when a real concern is identified. Responses may include active monitoring and engagement through appropriate channels, but most critically, necessary adjustments to security posture.
Not all threats are discoverable, but protective intelligence provides foresight where signals do exist. Effective security has always been built on information gathering, analysis, and, when possible, foresight into risk. Without that foundation, security is blind to emerging threats.
Foresight is especially critical for leaders and public figures in today’s polarized social climate. A recent survey by the Network Contagion Research Institute found that 67 percent of left- leaning respondents and 54 percent of right-leaning respondents felt political violence might be acceptable in some cases. When so many of our neighbors view violence as a response to disagreement, the risk faced by those in the spotlight increases.
The value of information has always been understood. Even Julius Caesar relied upon human networks to monitor threats and collect what we would now call protective intelligence. And while such efforts don’t guarantee safety, they do provide the opportunity to identify and manage threats before harm occurs. For that reason, protective intelligence has always been indispensable to the protection of leaders and public figures. Omnium helps organizations build and manage these capabilities.
About the Author
Steven Dana is the Director of Executive Security Programs at Omnium Protection Group, with more than 30 years of combined experience in security, risk, and litigation management. At Omnium, Steven helps organizations and high-profile individuals assess and understand risk and design protection strategies that align with operational realities.
