What Is a Fugitive Recovery Agent?

As long as there are laws there will be people who try to avoid apprehension for their crimes. Fugitive recovery agents, aka bounty hunters, have a significant role in making sure bail jumpers are caught and detained, at least until after their trial. Here are some facts that you may not know about this profession:

Employment

Most fugitive recovery agents are hired by bail bondsmen to locate and apprehend a bail jumper. The bondsman is responsible for paying the total amount of the bail if the fugitive doesn’t show up to trial. A successful apprehension by the bounty hunter will typically pay around 10% of the total bail.

State Laws

Most states don’t require formal training and licensing for fugitive recovery agents, but most have requirements that must be met. Whether working for Wayne County bail bonds or a bondsman in California, the bounty hunter is required to remain aware of the laws for the state in which they’re physically working, even if their employer is in another state. Laws often vary greatly between different states. Several states have banned bounty hunting and some have even banned the bail bonds business altogether.

State-to-State Variations

The authority levels of fugitive recovery agents vary from state to state. Most states don’t require a fugitive recovery agent to have a warrant to enter a fugitive’s private property. However, they must have a warrant or the owner’s permission to enter the property of others, even if they know that the fugitive is there.

Success Rate

Bounty hunters are overall very successful at catching bail jumpers, recovering over 90% in the United States. This amounts to more than 30,000 fugitives caught each year.

Successful fugitive recovery agents contribute to the overall safety of the U.S. by tracking down and recovering potentially dangerous suspects who skip bail. The bail bondsmen who hire them, as well as law enforcement and society, in general, benefit from their hard work.