"Dog the Bounty Hunter," a popular television show about the title character, has brought the world of bail enforcement agents, or bounty hunters, to the mainstream. Tracking down fugitives who have skipped their bail can be an exciting career if you know how to choose the best bounty hunter jobs. With proper training and experience, you can make a lucrative living in this profession.
It is not recommended that you take bounty hunter jobs without some prior training and proper preparation. There are schools to attend, or you could apprentice with a bounty hunter. No matter where your experience comes from, you will not be able to get a good job without being able to properly track people, perform surveillance, understand the laws governing bounty hunters and know how to properly apprehend suspects.
In order to get good bounty hunter jobs, you must choose what locations you want to work in. Bail enforcement is legal in most of the United States and in the Philippines but few other places. In the U.S., you must apply for licenses and often must take specific training to be legally allowed to track suspects in each individual state.
One way to choose the best bounty hunter jobs is to get associated with bail bond companies and private investigators. These two groups are primarily the ones who hunt down fugitives, so networking with them will help put you in a position to get the jobs. To start, you can offer to work with a bondsman or private investigator for free until you prove yourself. Another option is to offer to take an unusually small cut of a reward in exchange for future job consideration.
If you do choose to work independently, you can track down whoever you choose. It is not advisable to begin by hunting down dangerous felons with large bounties on their heads. Start your career by efficiently tracking down lesser criminals with lower bounties and work your way up. If you are good, you will build a reputation and might start getting phone calls from bonds companies to track down criminals for them.
No matter what bounty hunter jobs you choose, you should always select ones with which you are comfortable. If there is a violent history or specific danger associated with a suspect, be sure you have the training and skills to handle any situations that might arise. Many bounty hunters work with a team, and this larger group allows them to pursue more dangerous jobs, because a greater number of hunters often decreases the threat of a problem.
