This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Local Voices

What is a bounty hunter?


They carry a gun, a Taser, handcuffs and a badge. And wear a bullet-proof vest. But they're not cops...
Southland Court Services Investigators apprehend a bail skip.The badge says, "Fugitive Recovery Agent" -- better known as a bounty hunter. His job is tracking down bail jumpers.In the business since the mid-'90s, Chiz and other experienced bounty hunters say most fugitives are captured without a fight. But across the country, bounty hunters have arrested the wrong people and injured or killed bystanders.Recently in Wildomar, the mayor's 46-year-old daughter, Jamie Scranton, was Tased and pepper-sprayed outside her home during a fight with a bail bondsman involving several family members, Riverside County sheriff's officials said. The bondsman was taking a friend of Scranton's 27-year-old son back to jail. The incident raised questions about what bail bondsmen and their bounty hunters can and can't do.When their colleagues run amok, some bounty hunters and bondsmen cite factors such as a lack of public or police understanding about their powers of arrest, as well as a "cowboy" mentality or lack of education on the part of the fugitive recovery agent.According to a 2007 California Research Bureau report on bounty hunters, the state has never required licensing. A law ordering minimum training and other requirements for bounty hunters passed in 1999. They had to be 18, for instance, have no felony record and complete an eight-hour power of arrest course. They also had to notify police before making an arrest. But the law expired in 2010. Read More: http://blog.southland-law.com/?p=47

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?