Bounty hunter

In the United States, bounty hunters primarily draw their legal imprimatur from an 1872 Supreme Court decision, Taylor v. Taintor.

[1] In 1873, the Supreme Court noted that bounty hunters were a part of the U.S. law enforcement system with a decision in Taylor v. Taintor:[2] When the bail is given, the principal is regarded as delivered to the custody of his sureties.

It is likened to the arrest by the sheriff of an escaped prisoner.Bounty hunters at the time were used to catch wanted criminals and children who ran away from the American Indian Boarding Schools.

[7] Bounty hunters have varying levels of authority in their duties with regard to their targets, depending on which states they operate in.

In some states, bounty hunters do not undergo any formal training,[8] and are generally unlicensed, only requiring sanction from a bail bondsman to operate.

[citation needed] In the United States legal system, the 1873 U.S. Supreme Court case Taylor v. Taintor, 16 Wall (83 U.S. 366, 21 L.Ed.

[14] The State of Connecticut has a detailed licensing process which requires any person who wants to engage in the business as a bail enforcement agent (bounty hunter) to first obtain a professional license from the Commissioner of Public Safety; specifically detailing that "No person shall, as surety on a bond in a criminal proceeding or as an agent of such surety, engage in the business of taking or attempting to take into custody the principal on the bond who has failed to appear in court and for whom a re-arrest warrant or capias has been issued unless such person is licensed as a bail enforcement agent".

Connecticut has strict standards which require bail enforcement agents to pass an extensive background check and, while engaging in fugitive recovery operations, wear a uniform, notify the local police barrack, wear a badge, and only carry licensed and approved firearms, including handguns and long guns which are permitted.

Recently, the Connecticut State Police converted its bail enforcement agent licensing unit to reflect the role bail enforcement agents play in the Connecticut criminal justice system; placing them in the newly defined Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

Some of the more advanced schools offer specialized training in the area of tactical firearms to prepare BEAs for conducting dangerous recovery operations.

[16] In Florida, only a "limited surety agent" licensed by the Florida Department of Financial Services - Bureau of Agent and Agency Licensing, may legally apprehend bail fugitives in addition to law enforcement's ability to arrest a fugitive pursuant to a bench warrant.

[citation needed] Daniel Kear of Fairfax, Virginia, pursued and abducted Sidney Jaffe at a residence in Canada and returned him to Florida to face trial.

The hunters sued the fugitive and family, winning the civil suit for malicious prosecution with a judgment amount of $1.5 million.