Thinking Of Becoming A Bounty Hunter?

By Mickey Spitaleri


Bounty hunters do not like being called "bounty hunters", they much prefer the term "bail enforcement agent" or, at a pinch, "fugitive recovery agent". Nowadays they say they don't collect bounties any more, instead they are almost solely looking for fugitives on behalf of bail bondsmen. The ones I have spoken to like the excitement: they say it beats slogging away in an accounts department or at an auto shop, though they do admit that it has the potential to be more risky. The rewards of the job can be high: a good part-time agent who works at the weekends and a couple of nights a week can make $25,000-$50,000 a year, and a full-time bounty hunter should earn more than $100,000 in a good year.

Needless to say, to make anything like good money, fugitive recovery officers need to be experienced and know how to track down and apprehend fugitives. If they don't get their man they do not get any pay, it's as simple as that. Top of the priority list before you can work as a bounty hunter is getting expert bail enforcement agent training that will lead to official licensing. Ensure that the people in your state who oversee the licensing approve whatever training you decide on. Your jurisdiction's departments of justice, police and insurance should be able to give you extra details about this.

It also would not harm your chances of success if you were to pursue some kind of law enforcement or criminal justice degree. Even so, the most useful training ground for a bounty hunter is still to have worked as a sheriff's deputy or as a police officer. Remember that in addition to passing your exam, you will also have to submit to a background check before being hired.

Unless you been a cop or in another branch of law enforcement, going straight into work as a bail enforcement agent on your own can be difficult. Joining an agency is a often good idea for new bail enforcement agents. As a self-employed agent, you'll be asked to come up with a bond deposit of something like $5k, so many fugitive recovery agents will work for an agency until they earn enough cash to pay this deposit and work on their own.

Networking and making yourself known to your local police will always help. You can enlarge your network by forming relationships with staff at the department of criminal justice, as well as with judges and defense and prosecuting attorneys. These relationships could prove vital in helping you become a successful bounty hunter, especially if you eventually aim to build your own team of bail enforcement agents.




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