Car Repossession Reality Is Not Like TV

If you have ever watched a television show like "Operation Repo," you may begin to expect physical confrontation from any repossession agent who comes to get your car. "Operation Repo" is a television show produced by truTV cable network, in what they call an actuality, not reality, style. The show is scripted, but some people believe the scripts depict truth, as far as the repo man's willingness to brawl is concerned, at least.
Real repo men say that nothing could be further from the truth. Two real repo men from Augusta, Georgia in an interview by their local paper gave the opinion that the television show will someday contribute to someone getting killed. Owners of cars have come to expect violence from the repo man so some car owners go unnecessarily on the attack first. 
Of course, repossession work has always been dangerous because many car owners are desperate to keep their vehicles. What car owners need to realize is that all the laws of the land need to be enforced and respected, by both car owners and the repossession agents. Violence initiated by either side can be punished by the law. Repossession agents are only doing their job. When someone does not make their loan payments they are no longer legally in the right to continue possession of their vehicle. The repossession agent does not want to get in a fight. He just wants to take the car and get out of there.
The car owners who cannot make their payments have already been short-sighted by buying a car they could not afford, or not selling a car when they realized they were going to begin missing payments. It is a shame if they were to compound their foolishness by engaging in assaulting another human being. Not only might they seriously injure someone, the car owners may now need to add bail, court appearances and jail time to their already troubled life.
The two real repo men mentioned above have their share of scars gotten on the job from being struck by objects and once nearly backed over by a vehicle. Yet, they cite an example of a man sleeping in his Mercedes with a shotgun in his arms as a situation that no one of several recovery companies could get around. Repossession agents will typically take a vehicle at night because they want to avoid confrontation.
To tell the story fairly, not all debtors are prepared to brawl over their cars either. Sometimes the repo men have had keys voluntarily turned over or found a car parked in the open with the keys easily accessible and personal possessions and license plate removed. A lot of good people are just down on their luck right now.