Special Agent?

While checking out BEA sites this rainy Sunday afternoon I found many where they list themselves as 'Special Agent'. Special Agent my sainted Aunt's patootie!!! Who started that crap? To my knowledge the term special agent is used primarily in the insurance and real estate fields but began with the FBI and given to those agents who had arrest powers. Why is it so many BEA's want to list themselves as more than they are and/or attach titles to themselves? For God sakes people... tell it like it is and cease trying to impress yourself with a fancy title that has no merit or authenticity. Where in hell do these people come from? I pity the BEA who rings my doorbell and tells me they are a Special Agent.... SPECIAL AGENT MY A--!!! SPECIAL AGENT THIS......!!!!!

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

I'm glad you brought up this subject, I've long stated that BEA's identifying themselves in a misleading manner only serves to belittle our profession and create animosity with Law Enforcement.

The term "Special Agent" may be appropriate in the context of being a "Special Agent" of a Surety or Recovery company but when one identifies themselves as "Special Agent" so and so without elaborating that their a Special Agent of ABC Bonding or FRA Recovery for example then it's clearly misleading and Law Enforcement will not trust someone who tries to mislead them.

Our ID Cards Say "Bail Enforcement Civil Process Associates, Name, Special Agent, Fugitive Investigations, which clearly identifies the holder as a representative of our organization and not a Law Enforcement Agency.

When we identify ourselves we clearly identify that we are either a
Bail Agent or Bail Enforcement Agent conducting a fugitive investigation.
I don't use the term Fugitive Recovery Agent, I make sure the word "BAIL" is always used when identifying myself so that it's clear that I'm Bail Enforcement not Law Enforcement.

The first thing I do when I come into contact with Law Enforcement while working is let them know who and what l am, if anyone doing BEA work feels the need to pretend to be something their not I suggest they find a new line of work before they end up in serious trouble, just my opinion.

How about the name Surety Enforcement Agent. Whats everyones opinion on using that as a identification. I use Bail Enforcement Agent but have been considering Surety Enforcement Agent.

_________________
After all is said and done, more is said than done.



-X-
St. Louis, MO
FRN#2
Member of The C.B.C

I believe BAIL ENFORCEMENT AGENT to be correct (most people would not know surety from toilet paper) here is my reason -we rearrest bail skips or revoke bail bonds as per our bondsperson directions-therefor we are agents of the bondsmen who enforcement bail contracts-we do not arrest fugitives (although most of our arrests are fugitives)we do not have authority to arrest fugitives only bail jumpers-therefor we are not fugitive recovery agents.
As for special agent title some of us are special to their mommys but are they their mommys agents? I do not think so unless their mommys are their bondsmen(i guess then they are special agents)
Where am I going with all this crap? Its bad enough we have du-du saying bountyhunter(and acting like the idiot we all know him to be)we do not need all these stupid titles to make ourselves look like fools -we do it well all by ourselves--on another forum a bea called himself major k---y cr-------l special agent--maybe he is a drum major whos mommy thinks he is special--I bet all leos he meets has a good laugh.I do not know if i should salute call him sir or kick him in the rear end. remember BEA-BEA-BEA-BAIL ENFORCEMENT AGENT--BEA

Here in PA we have "Special Police" who have the same arrest authority as regular police but their jurisdiction is limited to their employers property or in the case of the Humane Cruelty Investigator they can only enforce animal humane laws and they are privately employed, their not Security Guards and their not government employed police hence their title "Special Police"

In the Bail Enforcement Profession we are not Agents of the Surety for the purpose of posting bonds, we have a different or "Special" purpose which is to act as their agent for the purpose of enforcing the Bail Bond Contract, so we are a Special Agent of the Surety or Bondsman.

Even though our ID Cards say Special Agent, they also contain the words BAIL ENFORCEMENT, CIVIL PROCESS, if you notice BAIL & CIVIL are the key words, although our ID Cards contain the words Special Agent it's only PART of the Identification, I would NEVER identify myself as
Special Agent Jordan, as I said I identify myself simply as a
Bail Enforcement Agent or as a licensed Bondsman I use the term
Bail Agent.

I don't think "Special Agent" is incorrect but it should never be used unless it's worded in a way that doesn't mislead people, the correct use for example would be "I'm a Special Agent for ABC Bonding".

I suggest just using Bail Enforcement Agent and forget about using Special Agent since it could easily be misconstrued.

Here in the PRC, the legal language is "Bail Fugitive Recovery Person." The exact legal reference escapes me at this early hour, but it is contrary to law to utilize or otherwise incorporate the word "Surety" here unless the organization in question is actually a Surety.

To avoid complications, I think that incorporating something to unmistakably mark the nature and purpoe of the wearer or user is to either just go with one's name and affiliation, so long as the word "Bail" and maybe even "Bonds" is included.

Depending on the outcome of preliminary investigation concerning a bail skip's propensity for violence or 3rd Strike status, sometimes I go in a suit, a bicycle kit, ordinary street clothes, or in uniform, but the latter is splattered with the word "BAIL" on all four sides to include the legal codes concerning BAIL for my state. This is done to avoid confusion and is well received by law enforcement personnel who appreciate the clearly identifiable nature of our uniforms when they are worn.

Using any other term that would mislead--such as Task Force, Federal, Bureau, or other words associated with government entities--could result in problems for the wearer.

Just remember, what works in one area may not work in another.

Rex

Maybe when everyone begins using the same or very similar term we will all get a little more respect. Special Agent just doesn't cut it no matter what words are used after or before the term. Tim, I like Surety Enforcement Agent but only those in the biz will know what it means. Bail Enforcement Agent is exactly what we are and do. This Special Agent crap is what law enforcement laughs at and rightly so. It is only a self employed title without meaning or merit to those in the field and I do mean BEA's as well as all factions of law enforcement. As for those not in the business they will and do misconstrue such wording to infer the person is some type of law enforcement. Get rid of the special agent wording and be real instead of trying to reflect more than you are.

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

People,

L.A.W. is considered by many to be an icon in the trade, and one would be remiss not to lend strong consideration to his position on any number of topics.

Rex

Since were on a related subject I thought I'd bring up this subject.

Where did the term "Bail Enforcement Officer" come from ?

Were not Officers so the use of that title could serve to mislead people and subject the person using said title to prosecution.

I read an article years ago where a BEA had a badge that had the words Bail Enforcement Officer on it, he had a person he interviewed complian that he represented himself as a Police Officer and he was subsequently prosecuted and the badge with the word Officer was used as evidence against him.

What brought this to mind was I saw "Dogs" latest show and he had a new badge with the words "Bail Enforcement Officer" it doesn't surprise me that he would make the mistake of wearing such a badge, it's not much better than the last one with the Colorado State Seal which was illegal and certainly impractical for someone working in Hawaii.

I agree with LAW that we all need to get on the same page with the use of an appropriate title.

I'd frankly advise new people to stay away from confusing terms, but, of interest, is the as-of-yet unaswered question pertaining to whether or not surety appointed bail bond company owners, who appear in court, either are or are not "Officers of the Court." Attorneys are considered "Officers of the Court" in some jurisdictions if not most. In any event, utilizing the word "officer" is problematic in many ways, in my opinion.

As for Mr. Chapman's use of the word "officer" on his new badge, one would have to conduct an indepth study of the many different laws where he's working to see if he's operating under some obscure code bearing language either in his favor or contrary to his use of the aforementioned wording.

Rex