Norwalk California Bounty Hunter Salary And Job Requirements

Bounty hunters, also known as bail enforcement officials, trace and arrest individuals who have been released from law enforcement custody on bail, but who’ve failed to attend their court dates. When individuals miss their trial while out on bail, they become fugitives of the law. They are to be brought back by bounty hunters into the station so that they can attend another trial.

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What is the salary of Bounty Hunters?

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Aside from the ten to twenty percent share on the bail, a bounty hunter makes $50,000 to $80,000 each year. There is a high recruitment rate in this line of work due to the growing number of instances where individuals ignore court dates. Those who apply for the job complete with papers can expect the highest likelihood of getting hired.

What Types Of Work Does A Bail Enforcement Agent Take On?

The authorities bring an individual who committed a crime in the station and keep them there. Once in police custody, he will be booked and his case will be sent to a prosecutor who will choose which charges will be placed against the arrested individual. Prosecutors have a limited amount of time after booking happens in which they must lay charges. The time it will take on average is 48-72 hours depending on the laws of state. After charges have been placed, the accused is introduced before the court. The trial will include the judge’s recitation of the prosecutor’s charges against the accused.

The accused will then need to make a plea of guilty or not guilty. Once a plea has been made, the presiding judge, depending on the crime the accused is involved in, may allow the defendant to leave police custody in exchange for bail. This helps both the judicial system and the defendant since it liberates the judicial system from the expense of housing defendants, while simultaneously enabling accused to leave police custody while they wait for their trial. Those who participate in their court dates can even give bail as their motivation.

Judges may place bail at hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bail is not always settled because not everyone could afford it. This is where the bondsman will come in to pay the bail for the defendant. Joining the trial means the bail will be refunded. However, if the defendant chooses not to show up or misses his court date the court seizes his bail and issues a warrant for his arrest.

Bounty hunter services are engaged when he bondsman learns the defendant won’t be able to repay the money because he or she failed to attend the court. Bounty hunters will commit a lot of their time doing interviews, studying their target, and conducting surveillance while searching for a fugitive. However, they still need to adhere to the rules of the state while carrying this out.

States such as Washington require bounty hunters to get “reasonable cause” to think that a fugitive is currently within a premise before coming into privately owned property. They are also expected to tell law enforcement officials that they’re preparing to get into that property. In Virginia, bounty hunters are needed to give police officers notice 24 hrs before an arrest and 60 minutes after implementing the arrest.

How To Become A Bounty Hunter

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There are states where a license for becoming bounty hunters is necessary. While other states are not too demanding, some states are keen on letting bounty hunters perform their job as long as they adhere to the rules. A number of states, however, have restricted the practice of bounty hunting completely. Before becoming a bounty hunter, one should learn how the job and the work is welcomed in the state they live in.

Minimum Prerequisites

People planning to be bounty hunters must complete other requirements, too. They must go through a criminal record check and they must pass an exam. Proof that the person is a resident of the state and a U.S. citizen is required, as well. A valid driver’s license should be presented. There is a need for the individual to be clean from any crime, be it minor or major. The age requirement for applicants depends on the state’s law; some require at least 18 years old, while others need at least 21 years old. But most significantly, they should go through thorough training. Those who complete the other prerequisites will be granted training or brought to an academy for bounty hunters. There they will be shown the laws they must adhere to while operating as a bounty hunter and the skills they’ll require to catch fugitives. Some states even require applicants to complete specific approved courses.

Education Prerequisites

Learning the laws of the state concerning the occupation of bounty hunting is essential because there are many, and each should be followed to the letter if bounty hunters wish to operate within that state. There are states like Washington, which requires bounty hunters “reasonable cause” before they can enter the privately owned property and perform their job. They are also needed to notify law enforcement officials that they are planning to get into that property. A 24-hour notice to the officials prior to doing 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.

Certification And Licensure

After training is done, a few states require candidates to first obtain a license before they could serve as bounty hunters. A licensure examination on the laws of the state will take place. Other prerequisites include a clean criminal background, an age which is at least 18 or 21 depending on the state they reside in, finished training programs, clean criminal records,and a completed apprenticeship program. In combination with these prerequisites, some states might also require that candidates have a background in law enforcement just before they could get 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.