Crap, here's a long one....
Here's to the best of my ability-- lemme know if I get anything wrong or if I skipped anything.
Mullets-- perk, but not required
I have a professional buzz cut, by the way... But yes, too many guys in this line of work do have them. *shudder*
Licensing. Most states don't require licensing. You just need to be gainfully employed by the bail bondsman, who is licensed. However, I know little about this because I am from Indiana which does require a license. As does Nevada, and if I'm not mistaken, California requires you to have law enforcement certifications and Florida now requires you to have a full bondsmans license instead of just a recovery license.
Bondsmen can write bonds and do recovery. Recovery agents can only recover.
The licensing in Indiana requires taking a test pertaining to the laws that govern our behavior-- when to shoot, not shoot, when and were we can solicit business, and when and where we can make arrests. We also have to pay a fee and renew our license every 2 years. We are subject to full background checks and the like. You cannot be a felon, but people like "Dog the Bounty Hunter" (who did time in the state pen for accessory to murder) can get that waived by writing nice letters to the right people...
Yes, Taylor v. Taintor gives us the right to go out of state, so a bench warrant in Indiana is good anywhere in the United States. So someone that skips in Indiana can be arrested even if they are in, say, Alabama. The only stipulation is that I, as the recovery agent, has to adhere to their laws. Example being that in many states, I can enter the residence of a 3rd Party without a specific warrant. So if you skip and youre in your brothers house in Alabama, I can kick in the front door to arrest you. So advice to everyone: don't harbor a fugitive.
We get a bad wrap, but we cannot "harass" and strongarm people. We can lie, yes, and we do, but that is necessary for the job. If we had to adhere to the strict rules and regulations of the police force and more, then bail skippers would not be found and courts would stop writing bail bonds. If anyone here has been wrongfully accused of a crime, I'm sure they'll express their gratitude for the bail bonding system. So until people become honest (never gonna happen) we have to get a little dirty to find people.
Criminals working as recovery agents is mostly a thing of hollywood, at least around here. We are subject to background checks and the Dept. of Insurance (the department we are licensed through) denies people all the time for those reasons.
States like Illinois, Kentucky, and Texas do not let us do the recovery ourselves. We have to go through the law enforcement channels and have the individual handed over to us.
We cannot carry guns in other states with our license. All we have is our standard carry license like anyone else. I have an Indiana CCW permit, so I can only carry in states that honor Indiana's license. For the rest, I carry the fire extinguisher full of mace. And for the states that don't even allow that, I use harsh language and idol threats. --No one said being a bounty hunter was sexy
Do bondsmen feel guilty? I only recovery and do not write, but by and large-- they are human beings with consciences (unlike lawyers). But they are businessmen who contribue something to society. Not every that is arrested is guilty, and its also cheaper for the city/county/state to not have to feed and clothe every offender for months until the courts catch up... Bondsmen try to keep a tight leash on their bonds for that reason.
I am pretty professional in how I conduct business. Unlike the "dogs" of the world, I wear a suit or 5.11 khakis most of the time. I get dirty, but thats part of the business. Although you'd be amazed at how much wrong information we are given and its hard to sort through it. Sometimes its intentional and sometimes people want to help so much they try too hard and give you crappy information. It is our responsibility to check and double check our information before taking serious action, but it is also the responsibility of the public to assist us. When we knock on the door and declare we have a warrant, please greet us at the door. A "go away" from your couch isn't gonna help either of us and might result in you needing to replace your front door...
I have no formal law enforcement experience outside of being ASP certified at present. I have had much training for law enforcement officers, but nothing "official". Too many guys in our profession take years of barfighting as all of the training they need. I work with a former police officer, I have been trained thoroughly by him and others, and I am constantly seeking to better my skills.
Do we take credit for the arrest if the police catch him first? Its hard to do because we get a "receipt" from the bondsmen when we drop the guy off. So without the receipt we don't get paid. But depending on the arrangement with the bondsman, sometimes we get it. Example: if the guy is caught by the police, the bondsman's money is protected. He doesn't know that until we find out where he is. Even though I didnt "catch" the guy, I found out he is in custody and the bondsman can complete his paperwork. So instead of my 10% fee I get 5% if he is already in custody or if the police show up to my arrest and insist on taking in the guy.
As for the question, "How about this one. You have a bench warrant for someone in Florida. You find them sitting in their car in a parking lot. You walk over, open their door and grab them and they justifiably put 2 or 3 bullets directly into your forehead since what you've done is specifically called out under Florida law as a reason one can use deadly force. Does it make any difference how you go about your job given the different self-defense laws in different states?" --We don't walk over and grab them out of the car. We display our credentials and announce our arrest while we are walking over and grabbing them out of a car. Their gunfire is not justifiable if they know they are on bond (most skips legally cant have firearms) and we have the proper credentials, so shooting at us during an arrest is like shooting at the police during the same. If we have identified ourselves then they have no excuse... We must adhere and obey and expect the self defense laws in the different states, but I am unaware of any state that permits you to fire at law enforcement officers as they are trying to make a lawful arrest...
We usually get the bondsmans initial fee of 10% of the bond or close to it, give or take. And the most common are generally smaller crimes like check fraud or domestic battery. But we get any bailable offenses, which is anything shy of murder. So I've gotten warrants for bad check writers and child molesters in the same day.
I'm sure I missed a few and I'm sorry my post was so long, but lemme know what else I can answer. And if any fellows agents or bondsmen sees something wrong in one of my posts, please correct me! Thank you.
TRL
