Ex-FBI hostage negotiator issues warning on Mexico

By Gina McGalliard, SPECIAL TO THE UNION-TRIBUNE
Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.

Former FBI agent Jim Bird says negotiators for Mexican kidnappers seem to follow the same handbook. He says many kidnappers work for drug cartels.

DEL MAR — Although the violence in Mexico stemming from drug cartels is only a short car ride away, most San Diegans only hear about it on the evening news. But for San Diego resident and 31-year FBI veteran Jim Bird it was his daily work as a hostage negotiator.

Bird, who recently retired from the FBI and is now a manager for global investigations for Qualcomm, spoke to the Del Mar Rotary club earlier this month about his experiences in hostage negotiation along with other issues with cartel violence.

“It breaks my heart what’s happening in Mexico, because it’s a tragedy,â€