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A bounty hunter is an individual who seeks out fugitives ("hunting") for a monetary reward ("bounty"), for apprehending by law, if such laws exist. Other names include Bail Agent, Bail Enforcement Agent, Bail Officer, Fugitive Recovery Agent, Fugitive Recovery Officer, or Bail Bond Recovery Specialist. Image File history File links Gnome-globe. ... A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. ... Economics offers various definitions for money, though it is now commonly defined as any good or token that functions as a medium of exchange that is socially and legally accepted in payment for goods and services and in settlement of debts. ... A bounty is often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. ...

Laws regarding bounty hunters in the U.S.

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), is erroneously cited as having established that the person into whose custody an accused is remanded as part of the accused's bail has sweeping rights to recover that person (although this may have been accurate at the time the decision was reached, the portion cited was obiter dicta and has no binding precedential value). Most bounty hunters are employed by a bail bondsman: the bounty hunter is paid a portion of the bail the fugitive initially paid. If the fugitive eludes bail, the bondsman, not the bounty hunter, is responsible for the remainder of the fugitive's bail. 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties Libertarian Party State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest judicial body... Taylor v. ... The word bail as a legal term means: Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that persons appearance for trial. ... In law, the term dicta is used to refer to a judges statement of legal opinion that is not directly relevant to the case being heard. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

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 31,500 bail jumpers per year, about 90% of people who jump bail.[1] 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" or "skip tracers."

In the United States of America, bounty hunters have varying levels of authority in their duties with regard to their targets, depending on the states they operate in. As opined in Taylor v. Taintor, and barring restrictions dictated by the state in which the bounty hunter is operating, a bounty hunter can enter the fugitive's private property without a warrant in order to execute a re-arrest. In some states, bounty hunters do not undergo any formal training, and are generally unlicensed, only requiring sanction from a bail bondsman to operate. In other states, however, they are held to varying standards of training and licensure. In California, bounty hunters must undergo a background check and complete various courses that satisfy the penal code 1299 requirements. [2] In most states they are prohibited from carrying firearms without proper permits. Other states require bounty hunters to wear clothing identifying them as such.^{[citation needed]} 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 who have fled bail on federal charges from another state where bounty hunting is legal are allowed to be hunted in Kentucky.[3] In Texas, every bounty hunter is required to be a peace officer, Level III (armed) security officer, or a private investigator^[1]. This page deals with property as ownership rights. ... In law, a warrant can mean any authorization. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) English (de facto) See also languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (261,797 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... In the broad sense a peace officer is any public sector person charged to uphold the peace. ... A private investigator, private detective, PI, or private eye, is a person who undertakes investigations, usually for a private citizen or some other entity not involved with a government or police organization. ...

There is always a possibility for a fugitive to make life difficult for a bounty hunter by fleeing to states which restrict some or all parts of the bounty hunter's service.

Bounty hunting and vigilantism

The popular image of bounty hunters may include elements of vigilantism. However, this characterization is inaccurate, since almost all bounty hunters are legally employed by bail bondsmen and operate within established legal limits. Bail bondsmen operate legally in forty-nine states (excluding Kentucky) and have an obligation to the courts to ensure that their clients appear for trial. Without bounty hunters, many bail bondsmen could be seen as little more than professional gamblers, betting on the chances of their clients fleeing the law. For other uses, see Vigilante (disambiguation). ...

However, there have been various cases of civil rights abuses that have been committed by bounty hunters. The television program 60 Minutes featured a story of an African American woman who was arrested by bounty hunters who had mistaken her for another individual.^{[citation needed]} 60 Minutes is an investigative television newsmagazine on United States television, which has run on CBS News since 1968. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...

International laws, legal protection, and bounty hunters in culture

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 in Mexico after he apprehended the multi-millionaire rapist and fugitive Andrew Luster.^[2] Chapman was later himself declared a fugitive by a Mexican prosecutor and was subsequently arrested in the United States to be extradited back to Mexico. Daniel Kear pursued and apprehended Sidney Jaffe at a residence in Canada. Kear was extradited to Canada, and convicted of kidnapping [4]. While the United States Government generally allows the activities of bounty hunters in the United States, the government is not as tolerant of these activities when they cause problems with other sovereign nations [5]. --87. ... Dog the Bounty Hunter is a reality television show, chronicling Duane Dog Chapmans operations in his bounty hunting firm, Da Kine Bail Bonds in Honolulu, Hawaii. ... Andrew Luster Andrew Stuart Luster (b. ... Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ...

Several bounty hunters have also been arrested for killing a fugitive or apprehending the wrong person, mistaking them for a fugitive.^{[citation needed]} Unlike police officers, they have no legal protections against injuries to non-fugitives and few legal protections against injuries to their targets.^{[citation needed]}

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, Samus Aran or Jubal Early. In fact, in the Star Wars universe, there are numerous bounty hunters, though they are sometimes more like mercenaries than bounty hunters. Typically they are shown to work for powerful criminal figures with greater frequency than for the proper authorities. i like western films The Western is an American genre in literature and film. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Clint Eastwood (born Clinton Eastwood, Jr. ... Sci-fi is an abbreviation for science fiction. ... Boba Fett is a character in the fictional Star Wars universe. ... Gunsmith Cats (ガンスミス キャッツ) is a series of manga and anime work by Kenichi Sonoda. ... It has been suggested that Woolong be merged into this article or section. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long. ... Jubal Early is a character in the episode Objects In Space from the TV show Firefly (which has repeated references to the American Civil War). ... Opening logo to the Star Wars films Star Wars is an epic science fantasy saga and fictional universe created by writer/producer/director George Lucas during the 1970s. ... Mercenary (disambiguation). ...

In a complete 180^о from some of his more famous roles, Robert De Niro played a bounty hunter in the 1988 comedy Midnight Run Robert Mario De Niro Jr. ... For the Konami Arcade Racing game, see Midnight Run (video game). ...

See also

• Skiptrace

Skiptracing is the process of locating a persons whereabouts for any number of purposes. ...

Notable real life bounty hunters

• Duane "Dog" Chapman
• Domino Harvey
• David Schultz-former professional wrestler who made headlines for assaulting John Stossel

--87. ... Domino Harvey in 1994 Domino Harvey (August 7, 1969 in London – June 27, 2005) was an English-born celebrity daughter turned Los Angeles bounty hunter, notable within that field for being female, rebellious, and from a privileged background. ... David Schults is a retired professional wrestler who billed himself as Dr. D. He gained his biggest notoriety after a 1984 incident involving 20/20 reporter John Stossel. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/psb/consumer/bounty_hunter.aspx
2. ^ BBC news article

External links

• American Bail Coalition Located in Washington, D.C..
• Bill also Encourages Bounty Hunters to Track Down those Ordered Deported (Last Minute Amendment by Rep. Pete Sessions, Republican from Texas),
• How Stuff Works page about Bail Enforcement.
• Article on becoming a bounty hunter