WHAT WE CALL OURSELVES

I am not sure what you meant by calling yourself a "Blazer" when enforcing a civil contract etc. What I meant was blazing, glowing letters on shirts or jackets saying BEA, FRA etc. I do have a raid jacket that has "Blazen" letters written on it identifying myself as a Bail Bond Agent on the back of the jacket. However I never wear it! LOL.

The thread. I answered as calling myself a Fugitive Investigator because that is what we do investigate fugitives. Yes I am a licensed Bail Bond Agent but prefer to use my P.I. License since I am not the one that wrote the Bail Bond. This makes my P.I. license the legal one to use when Investigating and or Apprehending someone else's fugitive.

I do not understand why a reasonable person would think about myself impersonating anyone but myself. I always announce what, why, how etc. when conducting an investigation and or apprehension of a fugitive. I would think that wearing gear like Black BDU's, Combat Boots, Utility Belts, Jackets and Shirts labeled in glowing colors and reflective letters etc. might make a reasonable person think someone was a LEO. I wear regular street gear with all weapons hidden and tucked away and it works very well for myself here. This does not mean that someone else's approach by wearing gear that I do not wear does not work for them or their area of operation. I simply stated what I could or could not do here in Arkansas after answering to the thread "What We Call Ourselves".

As always this is just my opinion.

The problem with the "reasonable person" theory is that we don't tend to run into many that are reasonable in this business. I am a very reasonable person and if I saw someone with a badge and gun, unless they had other identifying markings on their shirts or other clothing, I would assume they were a cop of some sort. Some of the LE agencies that we deal with have gone to a more casual attire, particularly in less populated areas. I have seen them in street clothes with only a badge on their belt and in T-shirts with "Sheriff" or "Police" in big letters on the back and maybe a printed seal on the front. Although most carry guns, detectives and other investigators sometimes don't or else they are concealed.

Off topic...

Hadley, hmmmmm, no shirt? Now that could be a real good diversion, but I think Rex's Speedo would divert attention faster. Maybe we need to think about some of these as our disguises...except, where would we hide the guns????

Back on topic...

It doesn't seem to matter if we are wearing clothing identifying ourselves as bail recovery agents, fugitive recovery agents, bail enforcement agents, or just regular clothing, whether we show a badge saying bail enforcement officer, bail enforcement agent, or private investigator, or even none at all, about 1/3 of the people we talk to try to call us cops anyway. I have had instances where I corrected people numberous times, explaining that we are not LE and they still persisted in calling us cops or police. Anything we wear and anything we call ourselves will be wrongly construed by somebody, particularly if they are looking to start trouble.

No matter who we talk to, we always identify ourselves as working for such-and-such bond company and that so-and-so missed court and we need to talk to them about it. We clearly identify ourselves as bail enforcement and nothing else. We seldom even use the words agent or officer. Special Agent is just ridiculous and only shows that the person needs a title to make themselves feel special. The only one that doesn't laugh at them for using it is theirselves. Sometimes we initially say private investigator if we are running a scam to make them think we are checking out someone or something else just so we can see if our person is there, but once we spot him or her we say, "Bail enforcement, you are under arrest," or "Bail enforcement, we need to talk to you," or something like that. I don't need a title or a special name. I am a bondsman and I am bail enforcement, period. That way they can try to say they might have been misled because I had a gun or a badge but not because I told them I was an officer or agent of any kind.

I guess my point is that it doesn't matter what you call yourself or how you dress, people are going to believe what they want. The only thing we are guarding against is having charges filed for impersonating LE and if someone is looking for an excuse they will find something to use to say we were pretending to be cops. The fact that we knock on doors and serve warrants puts us at risk every day. The people that we are after do not want to go back to jail. They will use anything they can use to try and get even with us for putting them there. In their low level mentality, they think that if they get us in trouble it will somehow work to their advantage by trying to make it an illegal arrest or just getting us charged so we can't do it again.

For example, we were out of state one time, had stopped at a motel for the night and one of our prisoners called 911 and hung up. He was already furious that we had picked him up and had been smart mouthing the whole trip. I guess he thought that if the local LE came in and saw the prisoners in cuffs and shackles they would make us let them go. He must have been testing a theory he had asked us about earlier in the day, what would happen if the cops saw us with our prisoners. My hubby & I were standing outside the open room door getting some fresh air when 4 squad cars came swarming in. They wanted to know what was going on and we were clueless until they told us about the call. We explained who we were and what we were doing. The Sergeant walked in the room, saw the 2 guys, shook his head and walked back out. Our smart guy learned very quickly that what we had told him was true, he was our prisoner and nobody could change that until we turned him over to the jail he was wanted in.

To be perfectly honest, 90% of the time I end up saying Bounty Hunter after I have tried using bail enforcement because that's the only identification people understand and recognize. I know as professionals we don't like the term, but at least people can't say we misled them if we use it because they know exactly what it means. Hooray for Hollywood.

Kathy

_________________
Kathy Blackshear
Blackshear Investigations
Blackshear Bail Bonds
Sales Associate, Prepaid Legal Services, Inc.
Walsenburg, CO

Proud Member of the AB Reject Club

Amen on not using 'special agent'.

_________________
Lance Allen Wilkinson
Recoveries by L.A.W.
Serving since 1984
“What is sought is found... what is overlooked escapes” (Oedipus Rex)

Robert,

I didn't know that you were a bail agent as well. How's business?

Blazer: I guess we can consider this a new term coined by you since I can't recall it being used to describe big, bold terms. No worries, mate.

Take into consideration the very nature of independent contract work in California where a person can be bailed out on a relatively moderate charge and still be looking at 25 to life under Three-Strikes. Frankly speaking, I generally do not receive independent cases unless they are investigatively hopeless or are extremely dangerous.

In those cases where the skip feels that he or she has nothing to loose keeping Three-Strikes in mind, a good show of force has proven very effective in stopping situations before they go out of control. If tac gear, so long as the intent and legal authority of the wearer is competely recognizable, can gain even a second of advantage, psychologically speaking, in order to get the handcuffs on then I see no problems with respect to the orginal discussion of this thread; however, with the use of such tactics comes great responsibility and the maturity to employ them safely.

As I've said before, my team and I have been routinely complimented by LE personnel as being professional with invites back "anytime" over the past 13.5 years.

But, like Kathy said, "reasonable" is very much open to interpretation.

For example, the last 20-30 door knocks resulted in people calling us "police officers" eventhough we were all wearing nothing more than black polo shirts and tan pants with no patches, badges and after introducing ourselves as "from the bail bond company." I was very quick to point out the mistake and the fact that the Wanted Posters and business cards clearly listed the matter as bail related repeatedly. Go figure.

Concealed Carry: Like I've stated before, it is my opinion that a person's CCW permit (and these are not easy to get in California) would be immediately revoked if the issuing sheriff or police chief learned that it was being used for BE work; moreover, in my opinion, since the work is frequently up close, the best retention holsters come open carry versus what can be found in concealed carry rigs--if one carries a firearm at all while working.

The above should be considered in the context of my area of operation, and one should be mindful that he or she would be remiss in not studying the laws of his or her area of operation prior to taking any action in bail enforcement.

Rex

Rex to be honest I have not written a Bail Bond in 4 years but, keep my license active. So I guess that I could say I have not made a living writing bonds. LOL. My wife writes Bail and it has been slow for quite a while, the towns people think all of the criminals have run away but I think something entirely different.

Anyway back to the thread, Kathy and Rex have made the last 2 threads sound pretty well so I will end my opinion on this matter here.

Well first off let me start by saying hello all...I like to call myself a fugitive recovery agent...I buy all my stuff from NIC Law Enforcement Supply...I wear the black tee that says Fugitive Recovery Agent, black bdu's and a tactical holster and the badge that says fugitive recovery agent. the one that looks like a us marshall badge...when im out and hunting i notify local agencies of my intentions and im clearly marked when i make an apprehension..also in my state which is SC.. we r not called bounty hunters..we r called runners..but anyway i like the fugitive recovery agent..my business cards say fugitive recovery agent and i refer myself to being an AGENT...thank god i havent had problems yet...actually i take that back...was in ga chasing a fugitive when we notified the locals they assumed we were with a federal fugitive task force.. how dumb where they...just me and my partner there and we r a force...lol...but anyway it worked out and they understood after i explained several times that i am not federal...but i guess they assume federal because we hope state lines i dont know...but i prefer fugitive recovery agent...

Just my opinion, but sounds like too much LE look alike. The local LE may recognize what you are, but perception of the public is what gets you in trouble. Then again, you've already had trouble with one agency.

Hadley, I'm still waiting to see the no shirt thing and I think Rex should post a pic of the Speedo as well

_________________
Kathy Blackshear
Blackshear Investigations
Blackshear Bail Bonds
Sales Associate, Prepaid Legal Services, Inc.
Walsenburg, CO

Proud Member of the AB Reject Club

Rex and Hadley,

No offense gentlemen.... But in reference to Kathy's request PLEASE DO NOT POST THOSE PICS ON HERE...lol..rather send them to her in a pm. Please spare us the horror of having to gaze upon such unsightly and gruesome images. You may cause some of us irreparable trauma !

kathy, shame on you.....

The Enforcer:

Obviously unknown to you and the Leo's you dealt with, you violated Ga. Criminal Code with your attire and badges. Count this one as being lucky.

ONCE AGAIN, CHECK ALL LAWS OF THE JURISDICTION YOU ARE GOING INTO BEFORE OPERATING THERE.

Weapons reciprocity: My state (Al) is reciprocal with Ga. regarding my ccw; However, regarding bounty hunting in Ga. they added a clause to that statute: That for purposes of bounty hunting a reciprocal states'ccw is NOT VALID. ONLY AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS A GA. CCW MAY EXECUTE AN APPREHENSION.

I just completed the Ga. certification course earlier last month. Contact the Ga. Bail Bondsmen's Association if you need clarification.

_________________
River City Associates
Decatur, Al. 35601

Mr. Blaylock,

Hey! The Speedo thing was a last-minute, unexpected, last-ditch effort to get close enough to ID the lost soul with a penchant for sun bathing and running like a rabbit. I would have brought Sun block if I knew it would take so long, but, alas, your point is well taken, and I will NOT post pics of myself in a Speedo to avoid ing the members here

I was not aware of but am nevertheless intrigued by the following: ".....regarding my ccw; However, regarding bounty hunting in Ga. they added a clause to that statute: That for purposes of bounty hunting a reciprocal states'ccw is NOT VALID."

If I read this correctly, is it fair to conclude that reciprocal ccws are not meant for employment in GA? How would this effect, if at all, executive protection people using their ccws to work in GA?

Incidentally, so far as I know, California does not have any reciprocal ccw agreements with any other state, and, like I said, obtaining one is horrendously difficult. In fact, I heard an unconfirmed rumor that San Francisco PD was confiscating firearms from people who have been issued ccws from other jurisdictions. This is the PRC.

Rex

Mindtracker

Maybe you can help me out with this question, does Alabama require a license to do fugitive recovery ?

I read the State Law and it seems a bit unclear.

I have heard that there is no license required to do fugitive recovery only and I have also heard that one must be a licensed Bondsman to do fugitive recovery in Alabama, hopefully you can clarify this.