http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6472576
Mark Sayre, Investigative Reporter
I-Team: Bounty Hunters' Firearms Training
May 5, 2007 01:18 PM EDT
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I-Team: Bounty Hunters' Firearms Training
I-Team: Nevada Bounty Hunter School
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BLOG about bounty hunters
NRS 697.177
Bounty hunters! When a criminal skips out on a court date, they are often the ones who bring them back to justice. They are technically called "bail enforcement agents."
Over the past several months the Channel 8 I-Team has been uncovering problems with the local bounty hunter industry. In one case, local resident Steve Brereton and his granddaughter were both maced by a bounty hunter who barged into Brereton's home late at night. The bounty hunter was looking for Brereton's son.
Tell the I-Team know what you think of bounty hunters.
Nevada law requires prospective bounty hunters to pass a two-week, 80-hour, class that includes a day of firearms training at a shooting range near Boulder City. That training covers shooting techniques as well as safety.
Read about the new state law, NRS 697.177.
The kneeling position is just one of several Steve Hartnett and his seven classmates were learning. While the goal may be never to shoot, Hartnett feels this training is critical.
"If you do enough of these, there is going to come a time where you have got to draw your firearm. If you do 500 cases, you know, and you don't every draw your weapon you are in good shape, but eventually it is going to happen. Maybe. Hopefully not," Hartnett told the I-Team.
The instructor is Nick Walling, a 20-year veteran of the Henderson Police Department. "Treat every gun as if it is loaded," Walling told the class as he was demonstrating safety techniques.
While the class heavily emphasizes safety, Walling says the skills students are learning are a matter of life or death. "Breath control, trigger control, and target picture are the things that are going to put the bullets where you want them to go," Walling explained.
Walling brings all the students to the firing line early in the training nd has them shoot. The students own their own guns and provide their own ammunition. Walling quickly determines there's a wide range of skill levels.
"When you drew that time you tried to fire with your safety on. Okay, this is a habit you have to get into to take that safety off," Walling explained to one of the students.
Dale Ann Buttacavoli is only one of two women taking the class. "And I'd like to help clean the streets up. There's a lot of people out there -- warrants are out for their arrest -- and we can't find them. So this is something that I want to do for my community," Buttavacoli told the I-Team.
Student Joel Carlson is a military veteran and he says all the training in the two week class is important including this firearms class. "Some days they are going to slam the door and you are going to see them pulling a weapon. So you are threatened. And you have to be ready for this just in case," Carlson said.
Nevada law doesn't spell out exactly what skills must be taught on the range. Only that it must include the "qualifications for the use of firearms" and also the "retention of weapons." But these future bounty hunters say this training also gives them one more thing -- legitimacy.
"Well, if someone hires someone without a license they can just hire anybody. I think it is good that the state is putting some kind of regulation on the industry to get people licensed -- and get people trained," Hartnett continued.
After completing the two-week class, the future "bounty hunters" received their certificates of graduation. But you might be surprised to know that not everybody currently working as a bounty hunter in Nevada has gone through this training. That's because state law allows for a 9-month temporary license. As long a person meets all other requirements, he or she can work for up to nine months while awaiting this class.
The instructors are quick to point out that while they do carefully go over the laws and regulations of this industry, it is up to the graduates now to apply what they have learned.
Email your comments to Investigative Reporter Mark Sayre.
* I believe it's time for us to communicate with this group, as it is apparent that they are NOT BEA friendly and are in need of REAL facts, pretaining to our industry. I encourage our members here to go to the link and respond accordingly.
