Bounty hunter
For the Jamaican dancehall artist, see Bounty Killer.For the Star Wars video game, see Star Wars: Bounty Hunter.A
bounty hunter is an individual who seeks out
fugitives ("hunting") for a
monetary reward ("
bounty"), for apprehending by law, if such laws exist.
In the
United States legal system, the
1873 U.S. Supreme Court case (
Taylor v. Taintor, 16 Wall (83 U.S.) 366, 21 L.Ed. 287) established that the person into whose custody a person accused of a crime is remanded as part of the accused's
bail has sweeping rights to recover that person. For this reason, most bounty hunters are employed by a
bail bondsman: the bounty hunter is paid a portion of the bail the fugitive initially paid, since if the fugitive successfully eludes bail, the bondsman is responsible for the remainder of their bail, not the bounty hunter.
Thus the bounty hunter is the bail bondsman's way of ensuring his clients arrive at trial. In the
United States, bounty hunters catch an estimated 30,000 bail jumpers per year. Bounty hunters are also sometimes known as
Bail Enforcement Agents or
Fugitive Recovery Agents, which are the preferred industry and polite terms, but in common speech, they are still called
"Bounty Hunters".
In the United States of America, bounty hunters have nearly limitless authority in their duties with regard to their targets. Unlike a
police officer, a bounty hunter can enter the fugitive's
private property without a
warrant. Normally, bounty hunters do not undergo any formal training, and are generally unlicensed, only requiring sanction from a bail bondsman to operate. However, there are exceptions to this rule.
Several states have placed additional restrictions on bounty hunters. In
California, bounty hunters must undergo a background check and two weeks of training, and in
Texas, they are prohibited from carrying
firearms. Other states require bounty hunters to wear clothing identifying them as such. In
Kentucky, bounty hunting is generally not allowed because the state does not have a system of bail bondsmen, and releases bailed suspects on their own recognizance, thus there is no bondsman with the right to apprehend the fugitive. Generally, only fugitives from other states who have fled bail on Federal charges from another state where bounty hunting is legal are allowed to be hunted in Kentucky. There is always a possibility for a fugitive to make life hard for a bounty hunter by fleeing to states which restrict certain or all parts of the bounty hunter's service.
Bounty hunters can also run into problems if a fugitive enters another country. Laws in other nations can be quite different, and taking a fugitive may be considered
kidnapping. Noted bounty hunter
Duane "Dog" Chapman (star of the TV series,
Dog the Bounty Hunter) was arrested after crossing into
Mexico, apprehending
Andrew Luster, and not turning Luster over to Mexican authorities. He was later declared a fugitive by a Mexican prosecutor.
Daniel Kear pursued and apprehended
Sidney Jaffe at a residence in
Canada. Kear was extradited to Canada, and convicted of kidnapping. While the United States Government generally allows the activities of bounty hunters in the United States since they help the justice system, the government is not as tolerant of these activities when they cause problems with other
sovereign nations.
Several bounty hunters have also been arrested for killing a fugitive or apprehending the wrong person, mistaking them for a fugitive. Unlike police officers, they have no legal protections against injuries to non-fugitives and few legal protections against injuries to their targets.
In
Westerns, bounty hunters are commonly depicted as romantic figures, such as the so-called
Man with No Name played by
Clint Eastwood. This tradition has been adopted by several action-oriented vehicles of
sci-fi (when and if inspired by Westerns), with fictional characters like
Boba Fett,
Rally Vincent,
Spike Spiegel or
Samus Aran. In fact, in the
Star Wars universe, there are numerous bounty hunters, though they are sometimes more like
mercenaries than bounty hunters.
*
SkiptraceReal life bounty hunters
*
Duane "Dog" Chapman*
Domino Harvey*
Bill KlaseFictional bounty hunters
*
Boba Fett (Star Wars)*
Jango Fett (Star Wars)*
Greedo (Star Wars)
* Zam Wessell (Star Wars)*
IG-88 (Star Wars)*
Mira (Star Wars)* ''
Hanharr (Star Wars)(Bounty Hunters play a big role in the Star Wars Universe)
*
Amarant Coral*
Black Cat (manga)*
Captain Falcon*
Creighton Duke*
Dale Gribble (King of the Hill) in one episode*
The Fall Guy*
Gunsmith Cats*
Ice (Arrested Development)
* Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark series)
* Jubal Early
* Kanden (Metroid series)
* The Man With No Name (A Fistful of Dollars; For A Few Dollars More; The Good, The Bad and The Ugly)
* Noxus (Metroid series)
* Paladin
* Olivia Vornae ( Planet Aeruen - online serialized graphic novel )
* Renegade
* Samus Aran (Metroid series)
* Spike Spiegal and gang (Cowboy Bebop)
* Spire (Metroid series)
* The Stranger (
Oddworld)
* Stephanie Plum
* Sylux (Metroid series)
* Trace (Metroid series)
* Jack Walsh
* Weavel (Metroid series)
* T-Bone ( Planet Aeruen - online serialized graphic novel )
* Jun (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
* Hester Shaw (
Hungry City Chronicles)''
Training
*
American Bail Coalition Located in
Washington, D.C..
*
Bail Enforcement Agent Training Located in both
New Jersey and
New York.
*
Bail Enforcement Training Located in
Austin,
Texas.
*
Pacific Northwest Bail Enforcement Academy Located in
Tacoma,
Washington.
*
American Institute of Bail Bonding and Bail Enforcement Located in
Denver,
Colorado.
*
National Institue of Bail Enforcement Directed by
Bob Burton, and located in
Spring Grove,
Illinois.
*
Be a Bounty Hunter Classes offered online and nationally.
Miscellaneous
*
Licenses for Bail Enforcement Agents,
*
Bail Enforcement Agent Directory,
*
How Stuff Works page about Bail Enforcement.
