If you don’t want to be a cop or join the army, but you want a job that comes with similar excitement, think about bounty hunting. Just as CSI kicked off a craze of aspiring criminologists, reality shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter have piqued interest in a career that few ever think about seriously. In today’s job market, it’s time for anyone with an inclination for law enforcement, emergency service or criminal psychology to consider it.
Of course, few will receive the attention that Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman does. A few months ago, he had the opportunity to work with Nicholas Cage, bailing him out of a Louisiana jail after a rough night. And for what it’s worth, Dog isn’t even a real bounty hunter. Being a convicted felon, he’s barred from the service. What he can do is work with other bail recovery agents who can do that actual arresting for him.
The Real Life of a Bounty Hunter
In truth, bounty hunting is more about psychology than chasing down lawbreakers. The reality becomes clear through the real life bounty hunter, Topher Jones. He is an Army veteran and former EMT. When he started as a bail recovery agent, he quickly learned that being a bail bondsman has little to do with strength or physicality. In fact, you can do the job without ever meeting a fugitive face to face. The fugitive in his first case was named Roger. Jones managed to convince the fugitive to turn himself in, over the phone, thousands of miles away. Even though Roger was in Arizona, and he in Oklahoma, he managed to work with the fugitive’s grandmother to gain access to the man and talk him into doing the right thing.
Breaking In
It’s getting to become a bounty hunter that’s the hardest. While school can prepare you for the laws you need to know and self-defense techniques, bail bondsmen are a tight knit group. Expect to sweat it out a little bit in the beginning and remember to keep your cool. Networking is vital to developing the relationships needed to land a job in bail bonds. It’s likely that your first job will come from another bondsman who needs help with a particular case. One of those bondsman will need your help at some point. When that time comes, your schooling will have prepared you to come through for the bondsman. It won’t be long until you have become part of that tight-knit group yourself, receiving your own cases.
Shades of Grey
Topher describes his profession in a positive light that you might not expect. Instead of a jailer, he’s a catalyst for good. “Since that first case, I have caught 173 fugitives, and the lessons learned with Roger have been with me ever since. In my time as a bail recovery agent, I rarely have to chase a fugitive. I find that talking will usually resolve the situation. I’ve spoken to Roger several times since his case and he is doing very well. I realized that when dealing with him, I unintentionally offered him a way to change his life. Instead of forcing him to do something, I offered him the opportunity to choose to do the right thing.”
BecomeABountyHunter.com helps students prepare for the real world of bail recovery agency. Training, licensing information and practical advice are available to students via the website.
