Are you looking for information on how to become a bounty hunter? Well you’re certainly not alone as bounty hunting can be a truly exciting, and rewarding career. Indeed, the best bounty hunters can bring in some pretty impressive amounts, as hunting down those that have broken their bail conditions can be both dangerous and lucrative, and individuals that can do this are much in demand by bail against all over the country.
However, before you suit up and start hunting bounties, there is some pretty important information you’re going to need to know. Happily, you can find all of it in the comprehensive guide to becoming a bounty hunter post below.
In this post we’ll not only cover the critical stages in becoming a fully fledged bounty hunter, but also some of the crucial things that every bounty hunter will need to know to be successful. Just keep reading to find out what they are.
The Process Of How To Become A Bounty Hunter
If you are looking for a detailed answer to the question of how to become a bounty hunter, then you have come to the right place. In this next section you’ll find a step-by-step guide that will walk you through every stage of becoming a bounty hunter. Keep reading to find out more.
1 – Educate yourself on the role of a bounty hunter
Before you decide to become a bounty hunter, it’s a good idea to get familiar with the specific regulations covering this role your state will have. Remember that rules for both qualifying and operating as a bounty hunter will change from state to state, so you must understand what will be involved for the state in which you operate.
Additionally, many bounty hunters will track and apprehend fugitives in states different to the ones in which they have trained and registered. With this in mind you must make yourself aware of any differences in the way other states operate including the training you need, the insurance you need, the location methods you can use, and even the type of license you will need for each state.
2 – Get Some Experience In An Adjacent Field
Before you choose to become a bounty hunter, it’s a good idea to try and get some relevant experience. Since most states require specific training and that it’s a dangerous job you may not be able to shadow a hunter directly. However, getting ( or having) experience within related fields such as the floor can give you an idea of whether you will be cut out for the job:
- Military
- Law enforcement
- Private investigate
- Security guard
3 – Train As A Bounty Hunter
While some states leave the bounty hunter training to the individual discretion, others require specified professional training to be completed in order to qualify. Indeed, specialized professional training is a smart idea as bounty hunting can be a challenging and dangerous job, so it’s important to know how to keep yourself safe while cashing down fugitives.
Additionally a good bounty hunting program with help you gain all the skills you need to be a successful hunter including:
- How to use reasonable force
- Surveillance & research tools
- How to conduct investigations
- Arrest and control techniques
- Info on the bail bond system operating in your state
4 – Get Licensed
If the state in which you wish to operate as a bounty hunter requires you to become licensed you will need to go through the licensing process. This may involve demonstrating your formal training, as well as passing a background and fingerprint check. You may also be asked to sit an exam.
5 – Build connections with bail agents
If you want to operate as a bounty hunter you’ll be working with bail agents, either as an employee or a freelance contractor. This means you’ll want to build some good connections with the bail agents in your area, and show that you are reliable and effective to work with.
Critical Things You Need To Know Before Becoming A Bounty Hunter
What Is Bond Surrender?
One of the most important things you’ll need to understand when working as a bounty hunter is what bond surrender is. Bond surrender is when you give up the rights to that bond. Bond surrenders can happen by surety or voluntarily.
A surety bond surrender occurs when the bail agent gives up a bond, and now must be responsible for bringing the defendant to court. This is usually where bounty hunters come in, because if the defendant does not show up to their court dates the agent will be held liable and risk the bond amount they have already paid to the court.
A voluntary bond surrender is when the indemnitor (the person that is responsible for the bond) no longer wants to be responsible for it. Reasons for this may include that the defendant has chosen to stay in jail, the defendant has been released, or that the indemnitor is no longer comfortable with the responsibility.
How do bail bonds make money?
Being a bounty hunter can be a particularly profitable job, because the role of a hunter is to track down and bring any absconding defendant into custody. When a bounty hunter does this it means that the bail amount paid is returned to the bail agent, and this means they do not risk losing the money that they have paid.
Of course, as finding and bringing a defendant back into custody can be dangerous as well as profitable, many agents employ bounty hunters to do this work for them.
Additionally bail bonds make money because bail against charge for the privilege of providing the full bail amount to the court for the client. This is particularly useful as many clients can have trouble raising the entire bail amount, but still want to be released from jail as quickly as possible.
The way in which bail agents make money from this is by charging a non-refundable fee for their service. This is usually around 10-15% of the entire bail value, and they get to keep this no matter what the outcome of the bond.
Understanding Bail
It’s pretty obvious, but before becoming a bounty hunter you are going to need a good understanding of what bail is, the purpose it serves, and how it works.
Happily you can find the answers to all these questions in the following sections.
What Is Bail?
Bail is the monetary amount that the court requires as a guarantee before they will release a defendant from jail pending their trial.
What Is The Point Of Bail?
Bail is seen as security. It lowers the risk that a defendant will abscond or reoffend while awaiting their trial, while also allowing them to be released from jail. The idea is that if they pay a large sum of money they will not want to risk losing this by not conforming to the rules or conditions of bail that the court imposes.
Such rules usually include:
- Attending all court dates
- Not leaving the state
- Not committing any other crimes
Sometimes offenders will be asked to submit to electronic tagging. This means that they will have to wear an electronic tracking device, and if they are detected in any location outside of the ones defined by the court, they risk being put back in prison.
What types of bail are there?
There are several different types of bail that those working with bail agents need to be aware of. Each one will be explained in detail in the sections below.
Bail Bonds
Bail bonds are paid by licensed agencies to the court. Bail bonds are one of the most popular types of bail because they mean that the defendant or their family does not need to pay for the cost of the full amount of bail. Instead they pay a smaller percentage which is retained by the bail agent, and then the bail agent pays the entire bond.
The investment of the bail agent is protected because should the defendant not show up to court, they will use a bounty hunter to find them and bring them back into custody. This ensures the agent will not lose the bail they have paid.
Property Bail Bonds
Another form of bail bonds are known as property bonds. This is where the defendant or their loved ones can use their own real estate assets against the bail amount. Remember a bail bond is used as an agreement that the defendant will not abscond. Therefore as long as the value of the property supersedes the value of the bail amount a court should agree to this.
Of course, the property is only safe if the defendant attends all the court dates, and otherwise keeps to the conditions of their bail. If this is the case then ownership of the property will remain with the person that posted bail. However, if they do not abide by these rulers, then the court can seize the property to be sold off at their discretion.
Cash Bail
Cash bail is when the defendant or their loved ones or friends pays the entire bail amount off. If the defendant does not keep to the conditions of their bail or attend their court dates, the money paid as cash bail is forfeit.
The Importance Of Inmate Information
Another thing you’ll need to get to grips with as a budding bounty hunter is the vital importance of being able to access inmate information. This is because inmate information is not only data about those that are currently incarcerated but also how much their bail amounts are, which courts they are expected to show up at, what their location is, and what bail plans they have in place.
Indeed, as a bounty hunter, being able to find info on things, and being able to locate inmates quickly and easily can save you a great deal of time when it comes to research and investigation. After all, calling the jails direct is often time consuming, and rarely helpful.
The History of Bail
Last of all, before you make the decision to become a bounty hunter it’s helpful to have an overview of the history of bail. Bail and its surrounding services originally came from 13th-century England. This means that the founding fathers brought the idea of bail with them which we see in the 1641 act: Body of Liberties in 1641, which granted bail for those charged with non-lethal cases.
Bail was further entrenched into American Society in 1776 when they stopped excessive amounts being charged, and the Judiciary Act in 1789, which allowed those not charged with a capital offense to access bail.
1966 Bail Reform
In modern times we continue to see bail be used and reformed within American society. First in 1966 the Federal Bail Reform Act, which standardized bail laws across the United States, as well as allowed those not charged with capital offenses to be released on their own recognizance.
70s & 80s
In the 1970s and 80s the Federal Bail Reform Act was amended to include additional safeguards preventing those charged with violent crimes from being released on their own recognizance while protecting communities.
Recent Bail Changes
Bail and the laws surrounding it continue to change and evolve. For example, some states such as California have chosen to try and outlaw cash Bail. Although such changes have not yet universally been accepted, the debate around bail rages on.
Final thoughts
Becoming a bounty hunter can be a profitable and rewarding career. However, you will need to make sure you do things in line with the regulations of the states you are operating in. You’ll also need an in depth understanding of bail bonds and the bail system to be successful as bounty hunting. Lastly, it’s important to realize that there is a certain amount of risk involved in going after those that have broken their bail conditions, and you’ll need to train properly to be able to handle that.
