Frequently Asked Questions
1. WHAT IS A BOUNTY HUNTER?
A Bounty Hunter locates a person (defendant) that was bailed out of jail
by the bail agent's posting of a bail bond when the defendant has either
absconded from court (failed to appear) or has become a flight risk. A
Bounty Hunter takes the defendant into custody and returns them to jail.
A Bounty Hunter is empowered with authority from a bail agent or surety.
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2. HOW CAN I BECOME A BOUNTY HUNTER?
Depending upon the laws in the state where you live, you must first find
a Bail Bond Agent or Surety that will give you the authority to pick up
their defendant's that have failed to appear or are going to fail to
appear in court.
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3. DO I NEED A LICENSE OR CERTIFICATION?
Up until about 1998 you didn't have to be licensed, just about anywhere
in the country. The right to re-arrest a defendant was given by a famous
United States Supreme Court decision back in 1872. Lately laws have been
continually changing and in some states you are required to have a
license. Most states have recently enacted some sort of legislation that
ranges from required training and/or required licensing.
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4. WHAT KIND OF EDUCATION OR TRAINING DO I NEED?
Here again it depends upon the State where you live and where you want
to work. In some states you are required to have a license and or
training and in some states you are not.
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5. WHAT TYPE OF POWER IS GRANTED TO BOUNTY HUNTERS?
Bounty Hunters rely on basic powers of normal citizens arrest. The Bail
Bond is a civil contract between the defendant and Bail Agent. The Bail
Agent then gives the power of re-arresting the defendant to the Bounty
Hunter to act as their agent if the defendant absconds or is a flight
risk.
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6. ARE THERE ANY TRAINING SCHOOLS TO BECOME A BOUNTY HUNTER?
See our Schools link (http://www.trackdownservices.com/training/)
There are more and more popping up around the country, as more states
require training and licensing. Your local Bail Agent or Surety can
usually recommend one in your area.
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7. CAN A PERSON MAKE A LIVING BEING A BOUNTY HUNTER?
The Bail Bond business is a very lucrative business and a lot of money
can be made in Bounty Hunting, depending upon how good a person is at it
and if they are willing to devote the time to it. However, it is more of
a life style and one that to be any good at, a person must be completely
committed to.
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8. HOW CAN I CONTACT OTHER BOUNTY HUNTERS OR BAIL AGENTS?
There are several associations around the country for both Bail Agents
and Bounty Hunters.
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9. WHY DO WE NEED BOUNTY HUNTERS WHEN WE HAVE LAW ENFORCEMENT?
Law Enforcement is continually overworked and understaffed. In nearly
every county across the nation the amount of active warrants compared to
the amount of officers assigned to them is over powering. To be a good
Bounty Hunter you must be a hundred percent consistent and to get paid
you must always find the fugitive. A warrant officer has primarily a set
eight, ten or twelve hour shift in which to work on catching the
fugitive at the end of shift he stops and continues the next day. His
payday comes no matter what. A good Bounty Hunter does not stop, 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Bounty Hunter does not
stop, for he will not get a paycheck until the fugitive is caught.
A Bounty Hunter is one of the few aspects of the criminal justice system
that is provided at no expense to the tax payer. When a person bails out
of jail someone called a cosigner, usually a friend or family member,
pays the Bail Agent a fee to post the bail bond for the defendant's
release from jail. The cosigner signs a contract guaranteeing the
defendant will go to court. If a defendant fails to appear in court the
Bail Agent hires a Bounty Hunter to locate, re-arrest the defendant and
return him or her to jail. The fee that is charged by the Bounty Hunter
is paid by the Bail Agent and then billed to the cosigner and defendant.
Therefore it is no expense to the tax payer.
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10. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BAIL AGENT, SKIP TRACER, BAIL ENFORCEMENT AGENT, FUGITIVE RECOVERY AGENT OR BOUNTY HUNTER?
- A Bail Agent - is a person that is licensed by his or her state
to write the Bail Bond that is used to get a defendant out of jail.
- A Skip Tracer - is a person that usually works in the office,
who locates a defendant that has failed to appear in court or is on the
run and will fail to appear in court.
- A Bail Enforcement Agent or Fugitive Recovery Agent - is a term
now coined to replace the term Bounty Hunter, who works at getting the
defendant taken into custody and put back into the Court system.
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