Episode No. 41 Citizen Survival
of Terrorist Attacks Date: January 9, 2009
Notes: Self-defense
expert Jim Wagner on how a citizen non-combatant can best survive a terrorist attack.
At the age of 14, Jim Wagner began
to his life long pursuit of self-defense by beginning his study of the marital arts. Four years later he
joined the United States Army. In 1991 Jim Wagner, sponsored by the Costa Mesa Police Department, entered the police academy
(Orange County Sheriff’s Department Training Academy Class 104). Like his military training before, Jim Wagner was deeply
influenced by the police academy’s realistic conflict scenarios.
During his career with the Costa Mesa
Police Department, Jim Wagner earned a place on the SWAT team. It was through this conduit that Jim learned about logistics,
command post operations, hostage negotiations, entry team tactics, and sniping. On the job training included courses with
LAPD SWAT, the U.S. Army Special Forces, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Tactical Training Center, and from U.S.
Marines Division Schools Camp Pendleton (Advanced Sniper Course, Military Operations Urban Terrain, Helicopter Rope Suspension
Training, and Range Safety Officer).
While conducting a myriad of courses
at Camp Pendleton, both military units and other law enforcement agencies using the base for their own training discovered
Jim Wagner’s unique approach to training and his seamless blending of defensive tactics with edged weapons and firearms
skills. Before long he was getting offers from the United States Marine Corps, U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group, Department
of Defense Police, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections, San Diego Sheriff’s Department,
Los Angeles Probation Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration & Naturalization Service, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines
Provost Marshal Office, Drug Enforcement Administration. By 1996 Jim found himself being invited by foreign unit to train
in their own countries: GermanGSG9, Brazilian G.A.T.E., Argentinean G.O.E., Royal Canadian Mounted Police, London Metropolitan
Police, Helsinki Police Department, and various units in Spain, Mexico, and Israel.
The demand on Jim Wagner’s
time was overwhelming and in 1999 he decided to resign from the Costa Mesa Police Department and started teaching full time.
Not wanting to fully give up his law enforcement career Jim applied as a Reserve Deputy at the Orange County Sheriff’s
Department. Jim Wagner is the author of Reality Based Personal Protection.
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