What Is a Bounty Hunter?

The term "bounty hunter" may bring up images of bounty hunters in the Wild West, looking for criminals dead or alive in order to get rewards. Today, however, bounty hunters are often employed by bail bond agencies as an added protection for their investment: your bail.

Normally, when you borrow money from a bail bond agency to post your bail, the full amount is returned to the bond agency when you attend your hearing. However, in order to make money, the bail bond agency typically charges you a small fee of 10 percent of the total bail amount. You will need to pay this amount.

If you do not attend your hearing because you forgot, didn't want to go, or decided to run, the courts will not repay the bail bond agency. At this point, the bail bond agent usually only has one option to recoup their money: find you and bring you to jail. For this reason, bounty hunters are often sent to find people and bring them back to jail.

Can Anyone Be a Bounty Hunter?

Bounty hunters may seem a little scary, especially if they are chasing you. Luckily, in most states, not just anyone can be a bounty hunter. In some states, such as Idaho, there are little to no regulations on who can apply to become a bounty hunter. In other states, however, bounty hunting is now allowed at all, making it illegal for the bail bond agency to pursue you.

However, California does have a few regulations, including requiring any and all bounty hunters to be licensed. To obtain a license and become a bounty hunter, applicants must be at least 18 years of age and should have no felony criminal record. Last, individuals who want to become professional bounty hunters must complete training and education courses and must complete the bail license exam with at least a 70% score.

What Can't Bounty Hunters Do?

In California, the laws drastically limit what bounty hunters can and can't do. For starters, if a bounty hunter is pursuing you, they need to have adequate documentation from the bail bond agency to prove they have the right to so. Plus, they need to inform the local police (with at least six hours of warning) of the upcoming arrest.

Like officers, bounty hunters should keep their license with them at all times while pursuing a fugitive. However, they are not allowed to pose as officers or even wear badges that may make them look like officers.

Except in rare cases, a bounty hunter cannot forcibly enter your place of residence. So if you simply won't leave your home, the bounty hunter cannot force their way inside. They may, however, be able to contact local authorities to have you arrested.

In some cases, bounty hunters may follow you to California from another state. In California, these bounty hunters are only legally allowed to hunt a fugitive if they come from a state that also requires licensing, training, and strict regulations. Therefore, a bounty hunter from Idaho, which has no regulations, would not be recognized in California.

Bounty hunters are still a reality, but they no longer have the right to kill fugitives, and they can't even arrest you without informing local police first. If you would like to know more about bounty hunters, or if you need to talk about bail, contact us at Albert Ramirez Bail Bonds today.