Interested in this field

I am extremely interested in this field of work. I've been working in retail Loss Prevention for the past 3 years and I have no other educational background or investigative experience besides this. I am licensed to carry a concealed firearm and do so regularly. Would someone in my position with no knowledge of the business whatsoever and with little experience be able to establish himself and become a successful BEA? I am not necessarily looking for advice as to where I need to start (research being the name of the game), however I feel speaking to experienced BEAs who may have possibly come from a similar background (no law enforcement experience) would help to guide someone like myself in the right direction, or at least give a good success story

My supervisor used to do Bail Recovery some years ago and has mentioned getting back into it and possibly having me as a partner. Although he did not do it full time, he still seems to have a lot of experience. Would it be recommended to take under someone's wing who has been out of the game for a while? One thing that may hinder me from doing so, at least for the time being, is the fact that I'm 23. I've been told that you can not be a BEA until the age of 25. Not sure how much truth there is to this.

Thanks a lot and I hope to hear from someone soon.

-Matt

Read the BEA FAQ's. It is a sticky (one of the first posts) at the top of each of the forums.

Secondly, research the laws of your state. Different states have different requirements, so you need to know what you need in yours. A good start on this is to click on the Law Directory link at the top of the forum and then click on your state.

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

Proud Member of the AB Reject Club

Beware tho. Although Kathy is a INCREDIBLE source of info, the law directory is a little out-dated. For example i think NJ's is wrong now that the new laws & regs have kicked in.

Rick

_________________
Ricardo "STEEL" Zambujo
(Southern New Jersey Region)
S.O.R.A. Certified NJ Security Guard

Former Military Honorable / Medical (Retired for Life)
U.S. Army / Fort Knox / 1-81 Armor / 19-D Cavalry Armored Reconnaissance Scout

Former Firefighter (New Jersey)
Former Bounty Hunter (New Jersey)
Georgia State Certified Peace Officer #O210022
Certification #PBCO20130210022
Former Georgia State Dept of Corrections - Bootcamp Officer
Former Georgia County Sheriffs Office

Yeah, I don't know when it was last updated, but it is a good starting point. FYI, you can access most every state's website by typing in www.state.xx.com (substitute the 2 letter state abbreviation for the xx). From there you can find a link to the statutes. Just do a search for bail enforcement, bail forfeiture, bail bonds, etc until you find what you are looking for.

Also, you can do a search from the home page of many states for the same info and it sometimes brings up court cases and other publications/rules that may not be specifically noted in the statutes. Search engines are wonderful tools.

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

Proud Member of the AB Reject Club

Generally speaking.....there is no universal, nationwide age requirement for bounty hunting in the USA.

The only time age becomes a factor is if an individual state sets its own requirements or you feel you need to carry a concealed weapon.

For example, in my state, you can legally purchase and carry a longarm (shotguns and rifles) at the age of 18.

Alot of people confuse the 21 age requirement for ccw's and pistols as being universal for all weapons....not accurate.

Also, in my state, you don't need a ccw to "Open carry" provided you are on foot......wierd little quirk..but that's the law. The second you enter a vehicle, the weapon then becomes "concealed" therefore a ccw is required.

So what I am saying is that a person can legally bounty hunt in my state at any age; if they need to carry a weapon they can carry small, short barrelled carbines/shotguns (have to be at least 23" overall for shotguns in Al.) at the age of 18.

Keltec, Bushmaster, etc all make extremely small, compact, high cap carbines that are chambered in .308, .40 cal. 9mm. You can sling these weapons and they aren't much longer than some pistols out here.

_________________
River City Associates
Decatur, Al. 35601

Just found out that it is state specific (I'm in Atlanta, GA), and here you do actually have to be 25 years of age to bounty hunt, which actually gives me a little more time to research this profession (and to work on my bullet groupings, haha!). I also found out that you are not permitted to wear any clothing or carry any sort of badge stating that you are a BEA, you can only carry an identification card. Seems like the laws for bounty hunting may be a little more strict here compared to other states! Thanks so much for the info.

-Matt