I had been searching for Julio for weeks. The guy was in and out of the area, on the run, back and forth across state boarders. A lot of effort for a guy over a minor traffic violation. I got a tip that his white Cadillac had been seen in the area, so I parked my SUV at an apartment complex he had been known to frequent. The Caddy pulled in the parking lot two hours later.

I wasn’t sure if he was actually in the car, and didn’t want to scare the car off if he wasn’t. I took too long making up my mind, and he made me. The car sped out of the parking lot, up a residential road at 80 mph. Fortunately the bail bondsman I had called was coming down the same road at that moment, and saw the car duck into another apartment complex.

Julio dumped the car and took off on foot. The local PD showed up, called by the bondsman, and we all searched the area. An hour later everyone had decided they had had enough, and called it a night. Not me.

Julio needed that car, and I knew he’d be back for it. I pulled the SUV just far enough away where I could watch the driveway to the complex without being seen. I only had to wait 15 minutes.

Julio came casually walking up the sidewalk, and turned into the driveway. I started up the SUV and sped over to the driveway, blocking it, and his only escape route. I jumped out, pulling out my TASER. “Hands against the wall,” I said. I cuffed him and loaded him into the truck. It was midnight.

On the way to the bail office, I called the bondsman. “Got him.” The bondsman in turn called Julio’s girlfriend, also his indemnitor. The girl showed up 10 minutes after I arrived with Julio. “Don’t turn him in!” she screamed. “He’s wanted by immigration!”

It didn’t matter. We processed the guy and turned him over to the local jail. Three days later, he was in the custody of the INS.

One of the biggest questions I get is “How do you become a bounty hunter?” I say the same thing all the time: It’s different in every state, check your laws. For example, lets look at the 5 western states. Washington (my state) requires training, certification and licensing, Oregon has outlawed commercial bail and bounty hunting. California requires training and certification, but not licensing. Nevada requires training, certification and licensing. Idaho is neither regulated, nor do they require training or certification.

A person could go work in Idaho with no training or knowledge, but I wouldn’t suggest it. Some of the area is pretty rough for a green newbie. Be aware too that 4 states (as of this writing) have outlawed commercial bail and/or bounty hunting all together: Oregon, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Three more states have restrictions on freelance bounty hunting (where a person works for themselves rather than a single agency): Florida, North and South Carolina.

CHECK YOUR LAWS. You have to know what your state requires and allows. Start there. If you do not know where to look, get on the web and start with your state’s government web pages. Search for bounty hunter, bail enforcement, bail recovery, bail fugitive and similar terms.

Write down everything that you can find out. Your state’s government should give you requirements, fees and timelines on how you get authorized to work in your state. After that, check the statutes in the surrounding states. Do not assume that your bail skip will sit around in your local area waiting for you. It is your responsibility to know the laws and stay out of trouble with law enforcement. If this sounds like a lot of work, it is! That’s why a lot of people never go past wishing about it.

SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTION: Sometimes the days drag on and on, and a bounty hunter can get tired. Tired can equal mistakes. On those days when an adequate amount of sleep seems too far away. You can recharge with SPEED by Legal Gear. It’s a supplement combination that many have used to target weight loss, but it’s a tremendous energizer! And best of all, it’s available RIGHT HERE! http://mysupplementstore.com/spbylege.html

Until next time,

Eddie Dean
EAGLES BEA