What It Takes To Become A Bail Bond Recovery Agent, And What The Job Entails

Life can become pretty stale if you do nothing to shake things up a bit. A change in career can help, and if you are also an adrenaline junkie, then becoming a bail bond recovery agent (a.k.a., bounty hunter) might be perfect for you.  Here is what it takes to become a bounty hunter, and what the job entails.

Training in Bail Bonds 

Before you can retrieve bail jumpers, you have to know and understand bail bonds law in your state. Know and learn everything there is to know about bail bonds. You may also have to complete a training course in bail bond recovery procedures since some states expect bounty hunters to get and carry a copy of the bail bond paperwork with them when pursuing a bail jumper and when making an arrest.

License and Registration, Please

Some states require that you be licensed as a bounty hunter. Other states only require that you register as a bounty hunter and that you announce to local police what your profession is if and when the police arrive on the scene while you are making an arrest. Only three states forbid bounty hunters from exercising their nearly unlimited abilities to seize and apprehend.

In those states, Illinois, Oregon, and Kentucky, you are required to get a court order first. That is because a bounty hunter can freely enter where the police cannot go. In these three states, a court order prevents bounty hunters from freely entering private homes unannounced. Check to see what the requirements are in your state.

What the Job Entails

Typically, a bail bond agent will bring the bail bond certificate to you (when you are a bounty hunter).  You agree to take the case for a chunk of the bail bond money once you have successfully retrieved the bail jumper and brought him/her back to the court jurisdiction from which he/she ran. You can apprehend this person by whatever means necessary, and you have even more arresting and retrieval power than the police. However, it is a dangerous job, and you could be badly injured in the process.

You should also be in excellent physical shape. Bail jumpers not only run away, but they will also run if they see you coming for them. You may have to run the neighborhood equivalent of an obstacle course, including climbing and vaulting fences. You will also have to tackle and subdue your pursuit. Brute strength helps.

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