Bounty hunters, also called bail enforcement officers, track down and arrest individuals who have been released from law enforcement custody on bail, but who have failed to attend their court dates. People who cannot attend their trial dates commit wrong against the law. Fugitives are arrested by bounty hunters and returned to police custody where they’ll await trial.
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How Much Do Bounty Hunters Earn?
[campusexplorer header_text="START YOUR FIREFIGHTER JOURNEY" intro_text="Fill The Form Below To Get Admissions Info From Local Schools" aos="41826B55" concentration="F3205941" is_lightbox="1" lightbox_btn_text="CLICK HERE TO BEGIN YOUR FIREFIGHTER JOURNEY"]In return for their professional services, bounty hunters will typically obtain ten or twenty percent of the bond or bail sum as payment and they gain an annual salary that is within the range of $50,000 to $80,000. There is a high employment rate in this line of work due to the expanding number of cases where people overlook court dates. Those bounty hunters with official certification and experience will have the most job opportunities available to them.
What Types Of Work Does A Bail Enforcement Agent Undertake?
A criminal will be taken to the police station. Once in police custody, he will be booked and his case will be brought to a prosecutor who will choose which charges will be laid against the arrested individual. There is time for the prosecutor to place charges during the time in between the booking and the court date. Time may vary in different states but they typically take 48 to 72 hours. The defendant will need to attend the trial on the arranged date. There the judge will read the charges that have been laid against the defendant.
The guilty or not guilty plea will be given by the accused. Once a plea has been reached, the presiding judge, based on the crime the accused is involved in, may allow the defendant to go out of police custody in exchange for bail. This helps both the judicial system and the accused since it relieves the judicial system from the expense of housing offenders, while concurrently permitting accused to leave law enforcement custody while they await their trial. One may also see bail as a merit for those who do not slip trial dates.
The bail could be hundreds of thousands of dollars based on the charges. Sometimes, one cannot pay the bail by themselves. A bondsman will compensate the bail for the accused in this case. There is a reimbursement of the bail when the accused shows up at the court date. Nevertheless, if the defendant prefers not to show up or misses his court date the court seizes his bail and issues a warrant for his arrest.
To avoid giving up his money, a bondsman may hire a bounty hunter to find, arrest, and bring the accused back into police custody. Bounty hunters will invest a lot of their time doing interviews, researching their target, and conducting surveillance while tracking down a fugitive. But while executing their duties, bounty hunters should strictly adhere to laws and regulations established by the state.
A few states such as Washington requires bounty hunters to get proper reason before getting into a private facility. They are also needed to notify authorities that they’re preparing to enter that property. In Virginia, bounty hunters are expected to give law enforcement officials notice 24 hrs prior to an arrest and an hour after implementing the arrest.
How To Become A Bounty Hunter
[campusexplorer header_text="START YOUR FIREFIGHTER JOURNEY" intro_text="Fill The Form Below To Get Admissions Info From Local Schools" aos="41826B55" concentration="F3205941" is_lightbox="1" lightbox_btn_text="CLICK HERE TO BEGIN YOUR FIREFIGHTER JOURNEY"]There are states where a license for becoming bounty hunters is required. Other states don’t have such a prerequisite, but in these states, there are demanding statutes in place that control the practice of bounty hunting. There are states that do not permit bounty hunting in all forms. Because the licensure procedure and requirements differ from one state to another, it’s important that anyone wanting to become a bounty hunter first acquire knowledge of what his state requires.
The Prerequisites
Applicants wanting to be bounty hunters must accomplish other prerequisites, too. They need to undergo an inspection of their criminal record and they will also take an examination. A U.S. citizenship is needed, along with proof that the person is a resident of the state. They must possess a legitimate driver’s license. There is a need for the person to be clean from any criminal offense, be it minor or major. In other states, candidates could be 18 years old, while some states require them to be at least 21 years old. The biggest factor to think about is the amount of training executed. Several states require prospective bounty hunters to attend an academy or community training college. Apart from the physical training, they’ll also be guided on the various rules for a bounty hunter in the state. There are states which need applicants to accomplish some courses on the field.
Prerequisites In Education
Bounty hunting may only work in the state considering the hunter will follow the laws, which is why there’s a need to master the laws of the state before being hired. There are states like Washington, which requires bounty hunters “reasonable cause” before they can enter the private property and do their job. The law enforcement officials need to know this before the hunter could enter the property. A 24-hour notice to the authorities prior to doing the work in the state is required; after the arrest is done, the hunter is given 60-minutes to deliver information to the same office. Application of the training will be next; this is known as the apprenticeship stage.
License And Certification
After training is completed, several states require candidates to first obtain a license before they can serve as bounty hunters. Before one will be provided this license, the individual must pass an examination on the laws of the state. Some states will need an age limit depending on the state, mostly 18 or 21 years old, achieved trainings, as well as completed internship. Several states will provide a license to those who have law enforcement backgrounds. As soon as a bounty hunter becomes licensed he will be able to work freely within the state that awarded him his license.