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Rockville Centre Herald Article, 24 February 02 By Chris Italia  While the world's most prolific economic leaders were discussing the future financial stability of planet Earth, Who was protecting them?Ambassador Protection Services, Inc. With the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City, the World Economic Forum (WEF) was moved for the first time in history to the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan from the mountains of Davos, Switzerland to show solidarity between economic leaders. The move to the Waldorf Astoria made security at the hotel higher than ever. Overseeing the task, Rockville Centre's own Ambassador Protection Services. The company, which has been operating since 1995, was tapped for the job, because of their strong ties with the New York Police Department and the Waldorf Astoria. "We were chosen for the job because of our reputation," said Ambassador president, Dennis Kelly. "The Waldorf Astoria has been a client of ours so they informed the [World Economic Forum] that we were suited for the job." After making a bid, Ambassador was chosen for the largest event ever held at the historic hotel. Now their task was not only to secure the surroundings from terrorists, but also angry protesters and intruders who would have liked nothing more than to disrupt what they deem corrupt discussions. Kelly and his brother, John, both former detectives, started the company because they felt there was a need for the services they would provide. "Whenever I worked on a case, I would say to myself, 'If they took security precautions, this would never happen'," said John, a former member of NYPD's organized crime division. The job at hand was obviously the toughest they have had to endure to date. They would have to protect representatives from over 1,000 companies from around the world. It required adding over a 100 employees to their staff of 160. All are off duty or former law enforcement officers. "We hire people who are experts in the field. People that have dealt with security before in different capacities," John said. John remembers receiving the call around Christmas. They would be the company in charge of security. They began preparing immediately. Each employee would have to have a special computerized identification. "Every time you use the identification your face would come up on a screen and it would say where you were allowed access to," said Kelly, pointing to a computer chip on his WEF I.D. card. The brothers put in countless hours to make sure all was safe inside and around the Waldorf Astoria. "We never even saw our rooms," Dennis joked. "It's a 24-hour job. There is no time to rest when you have all these important leaders to protect." Of course, Ambassador worked with the NYPD and secret service. With both economic and political leaders staying at the famed hotel, help came from all ends. Some of the companies represented at the forum were, Coca-cola, Microsoft, America Online, AT&T and many others. Prime ministers from all over the world came to discuss the economic future of their respective countries. "We met a lot of people. Bill Gates was there, the prime minister of Ireland, just so many people, and there were no exceptions," Dennis said, meaning no politician, no billionaire was excluded from the security precautions. "I think more than anything they appreciated it, because they get a sense of real safety." There were, however, cases where an intruder tried to slip through any cracks. "We had a few people that didn't check out and we handed that over to the proper authorities," John said. On the Manhattan streets protesters rallied for days and at some points there were situations that became out of hand. "You worry about those things, but at the same time, you have to be sensitive. They have a right to protest," John said. Their reputation for tight security continued. As in previous jobs, no one got past them. "To our knowledge, no one has ever been past us, at least none we know of," said Dennis. "We worked hard for this and we were successful." The Kelly family grew up in Richmond Hill, Queens and eventually both John and Dennis moved to Rockville Centre. Both were honored police officers. John with the NYPD and Dennis with the Nassau County Police Department. "We've always wanted our business to be utilized in Long Island," said Dennis. "Even though most of our contacts are in Manhattan, we do have clients all over the country." Ambassador Security Services does not just provide security. "We are not bodyguards. We are not uniformed security guards either. We provide a different service," Dennis said. Ambassador provides many aspects of security including private investigation. Some of their services include surveillance, back checks on employees and many crime prevention services. "People that hire us try to tell us what they think they need, but they are not the experts. We come to them and evaluate their situation and then we can make the assessment of what they need," Dennis said. "A lot of times companies that need security have to cutback because its not a profitable service, but it is essential," John said, explaining that sometimes by the time companies hire an agency such as Ambassador it's already too late. | |||||
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