Bounty hunters, also called bail enforcement authorities, trace and arrest individuals who have been released from police custody on bail, but who’ve failed to attend their court dates. People who can’t attend their trial dates commit wrong against the law. Fugitives are arrested by bounty hunters and returned to police custody where they will await trial.
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How Much Do Bounty Hunters Make?
[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 usually obtain ten or twenty percent of the bond or bail amount as payment and they earn a yearly salary that is within the range of $50,000 to $80,000. There is a high recruitment rate in this field due to the growing number of instances where individuals ignore court dates. Those bounty hunters with official certification and experience will get the most job opportunities open to them.
Bail Enforcement Agent Job Description
When an individual is arrested for a criminal offense he is taken into law enforcement custody. The person will be sent to processing of records before a prosecutor could create a schedule on the court trial. There is time for the prosecutor to place charges during the time period in between the booking and the court date. In some states, this period is 72 hrs and in others, it’s 48 hrs. The court date will come and the accused will show up. There the judge will recite the charges that have been placed against the accused.
The judge will ask whether the defendant pleas guilty or not guilty. Once a plea has been reached, the presiding judge, depending on the crime the defendant is involved in, may permit the defendant to leave police custody in return for bail. This helps both the legal system and the defendant since it liberates the legal system from the expense of housing offenders, while simultaneously permitting defendants to go out of police custody while they await their trial. Bail also acts as an incentive for offenders to be present at their trial.
The sum of bail provided by the judge could be hundreds of thousand dollars. Bail is not always settled because not everyone could afford it. When such a scenario comes up the accused may turn to a bondsman who’ll settle the bail in his place. If the defendant attends his court dates his bail will be refunded. Nonetheless, if the defendant chooses not to attend or misses his court date the court seizes his bail and issues a warrant for his arrest.
To avoid losing his money, a bondsman may hire a bounty hunter to track down, arrest, and take the accused back into law enforcement custody. Bounty hunters will commit a lot of their time conducting interviews, researching their target, and conducting surveillance while tracking down a fugitive. While they’re at it, they still have to remember to abide by the regulations of the state.
States like Washington need bounty hunters to have “reasonable cause” to believe that a fugitive is presently within a premise before getting into private property. They are also required to notify authorities that they’re about to enter that property. In Virginia, bounty hunters are expected to provide authorities notice 24 hrs in advance of an arrest and an hour after making the arrest.
Getting Ready 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 necessary. Other states do not have such a prerequisite, but in these states, there are demanding laws in place that regulate the practice of bounty hunting. There are states that don’t allow bounty hunting in all forms. Since the licensure process and requirements vary from one state to another, it’s important that anyone planning to become a bounty hunter first acquire idea of what his state needs.
The Prerequisites
Candidates wanting to become bounty hunters should also fulfill other prerequisites. There will be an examination and a background check for their police records. Proof that the individual is a resident of the state and a U.S. citizen is required, as well. The driver’s license should be renewed and legitimate. It is essential that they have not made any minor or major criminal offenses. Some states call for applicants to at least be 18 years old while others require candidates to be at least 21. But most importantly, they should go through extensive training. Those who complete the other requirements will be given training or sent to an academy for bounty hunters. There they will be taught the laws they must comply with while operating as a bounty hunter and the skills they’ll need to capture fugitives. There are states which demand candidates to finish some courses on the field.
Education Prerequisites
Learning the laws of the state concerning the job of bounty hunting is vital because there are many, and each should be observed to the letter if bounty hunters want to operate within that state. The state of Washington does not enable the bounty hunters to get into a privately owned property without providing the most appropriate reason why the fugitive is inside. The police officials need to know this before the hunter could enter the property. A 24-hour notice to the officials prior to performing the work in the state is required; after the arrest is made, 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.
Accreditations And License
There are states that will require bounty hunters a license after they complete the training for the field. To receive this license, candidates should take and pass a licensing exam, that will cover the laws of the state. Other specifications include a clean criminal history, an age that is at least 18 or 21 depending on the state they reside in, finished training programs, clean criminal history records,and a completed apprenticeship program. In combination with these requirements, several states may also require that candidates have a background in law enforcement before they could obtain a license. As soon as a bounty hunter becomes licensed he will be able to work freely within the state that awarded him his license.