Will you clue me in on exactly how much power bounty hunters have? I've seen a million promos for the new season of that white trash Dog the Bounty Hunter show. Looks like they're carrying some sort of AR15 or M4 assault rifles and it looks like they can break in to a home to catch people who don't pay their bail

You guys can't use lethal force, can you? And are the clips filled with bullets or blanks? Do you have to have warrants or anything? It looks like you guys have more power than game wardens

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/psb/consumer/bounty_hunter.aspx



This post has been edited by Psykopath: Feb 6 2009, 04:43 PM

this is all true, except in regards to the additional paperwork we have each client sign. each client waves all their extradition rights, this is explained both verbally and with written consent. this allows us as a bonding company to enter a residence if need be, and by force if necessary. also included in these rights are the means in which we can investigate where the client is located. this means phone records can be aquired with a proper warrant given by the lubbock county sherriff's department, that is attached to every bond surrender we have recieved and have a warrant for. if the case is a felony, additional force is authorized in limited situations by the lubbock county sherriff's department. (if the person was arrested on any drug charge larger than a possession of marijuana, or if the charge is anything assault or violence related) we then have the authorization to carry firearms in aquisition. BUT only if the individuals are individually certified for their use, and are liability insured by the bail bond company they work for. our company does not carry liability insurance for firearms, so we can't carry. (doesn't stop my boss most the time from keeping the guns in the car. he says he'd rather apologise for breaking the law than have his wife collect his life insurance policy)


the clash exists when you have the rights of an investor and the rights of the client intermingling. as an investor (which a bail bond company is, due to the fact they have to pay double the bond amount of the client to get them out of jail) certain additional protections are allowed to be made on a personal contract to insure that we can maintain the liability for the money invested. this doesn't infringe on the clients rights, becuase they voluntarily choose to do business with our office, and wave those rights.


so in all, technically we DO have the right to be all showy and kick in doors with guns and be dicks, but our company prefers to arrest people when they are not at their houses (people have guns at houses, so we try to avoid that situation)


interesting note:: the people that produce Dog the Bounty Hunter approached central bail bonds first with the t.v. deal. our main boss turned it down, because the producers wanted us to look more intimidating. (dress up all commando like and wanted us to carry firearms)

i forgot to mention one part though that IS in favor with the client. before we can authorize an arrest, we must have a signed bond surrender approved by one of the county judges. if the judge does not think the client has been given adequate time or opportunity to correct their mistake, payments or behavior with their bond company, they will deny the bond company till a later date.