Bail bonds can often guarantee large amounts of money in exchange for criminals actually showing up in court, so there is always the chance that somet...
Bail bonds can often guarantee large amounts of money in exchange for criminals actually showing up in court,
so there is always the chance that something could go wrong - usually in the form of that criminal not showing up at all. Because of this, every good bondsman needs someone to make sure that things run smoothly.
Issuing and collecting on bails bonds can be a tricky business to be in because you’re mixing large sums of money with criminals, which is never a good mix.
Taking that a step further, not only are you mixing bail bonds with criminals, you’re guaranteeing them based on said criminals making good on a promise to show up in court and face charges on a given crime. Considering all of that, it is easy to see the possibility that things may go drastically wrong.
For anyone who makes a living issuing bail bonds, there always has to be someone to do the dirty work for them. That dirty work is finding those defendants who post a bond and then refuse to show up in court, which essentially leads to the bondsman not getting paid for his or her work.
That person is a bounty hunter, whose job is simply to collect on the bond by finding the defendant and producing him in court. It may sound simple, but it is anything but.
The job of a bounty hunter may seem exciting and even glamorous, but in reality it is grueling and difficult. To be successful at it, you have to have a certain set of very necessary skills. Without these skills, it can be very difficult to track down criminals who are determined to skip out on their bail bonds.
Above all else, any good bounty hunter must be adept at tracing and following an individual. In this day and age, that starts with the art of skip tracing, or tracking an individual down using the Internet. Whether it is through public records, paper trails or even chat room longs, the Internet can be the best tool for tracking people today.
Equally important is the ability to maintain undetected surveillance. A good bounty hunter must be able to carefully watch and observe a suspect without being seen, and must also have the patience to continue this until the time is right to move in.
Beyond these tangible skills, these professional hunters must be able to use data and information as well as psychological profiling to help predict where the individual may be headed. Being able to utilize as many different types of information as well as known traits and tendencies of the person to determine where he or she may flee to or hide out at can mean being able to remain one step ahead of that person during the chase.
When it comes down to actually collecting on bail bonds, physical tools and attributes may ultimately be what it takes to subdue a bond jumper and return him to custody. Knowing various forms of martial arts and combat techniques can come in handy when the aforementioned skills finally lead to an actual confrontation with the defendant.
