Inspired by my girlfriends questions while watching “Dog the Bounty Hunter” last night, how is it legal for a private citizen to forcibly restrain another person with handcuffs etc and effectively “kidnap” them? Sure, they end up at the police station, but it would seem to me that this would be in the grey area legally, at best. How, or why do the cops allow this to go on? Is this a registered profession? Why isn’t bail enforcement a police matter? I tried to Google this to find answers, but all I can find are shady web sites advertising books and programs, which further leads me to belive this is a questionable profession.
A lot of this has been discussed before. Just type in “bounty hunters” in the drop-down search box. In short, most of what they do including kidnapping is legal and they actually have more allowable methods at their disposal than the police have such as crossing state lines and entering without a warrant. The laws governing bounty hunting go back a long way.
Here is one thread but there are many others:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=61560&highlight=bounty+hunters
They aren’t just anybody, but trained, liscenced agents of the court, under contract, to retrieve fugitives from justice, specifically, those who jump bail.
Also I believe Dog the bounty hunter takes place in Hawaii and perhaps its laws are more slack regarding bounty hunters
Here’s a couple of others:
Bail & Bounty Hunters - for Real? (This thread doesn’t display all the posters’ names because it dates back to the UBB days. I was the OP - it was one of the first threads I started back in '99.)
Incorrect.
In no jurisdiction that I’m aware of are bounty hunters agents of the court; they work for bail bondsman to recover people who jump bail. And many U.S. states don’t license bounty hunters, so they are ordinary citizens with a particular job.
So in theory, I could see someone on a wanted poster at the post office who’s situation involves bail jumping, see them walking down the street, and just jump out of my car, restrain them with my shoe laces and belt, drag them yelling and screaming into my trunk and deliver them to the police station, no harm done, and best yet someone would pay me for doing this? Not that I would ever want to involve myself with criminals on the lam.
Basically… yes! Be careful, though.
Haha, this is for informational purposes only, unless perhaps an 8 year old kid jumps bail. Other than that I’m leaving this up to far more beefy and mulletized professionals. Good to know though if I’m ever short on cash…
Not unless you, or your employer, owns their bail contract.
Not necessarily, friedo. Because of Common Law and Statute Law (in some states), freelance “bounty hunting” falls under citizen’s arrest and is legal. If someone has a warrant out for his arrest, you know he has a warrant out and you can positively identify the person, you can snatch him up and turn him over to the police.
If the person has jumped bail. You snatch him up and then call his bondman. Tell the bondsman to bring the reward money and come pick the guy up.
There are states that do not recognize this, or any type of bounty hunting for that matter. Here is a fuzzy gray area. Because what if the person is hiding in a non-bounty hunter recognizing state, but he is wanted in a state that does recognize the authority of bounty hunters… then you need to go in and grab the guy quick before you run into authoriies over there.
Okay, I had a question on this - specifically on “Dog’s” show. I was watching a few minutes while trapped on an airplane - sound off, mind you. He was collaring this low-life and parading him before the camera, and I’m thinking - this is a setup, somehow. Dog, the hunter is taking advantage of certain legal avenues he has to deliver this guy to justice. Fine. He’s documenting it on camera. Legal enough. But then he’s showing this guy’s humiliating arrest - not on a news show or true documentary, but on an “entertainment” show. No way he’s doing that without the perp’s consent. Luv that cop-talk. 
So how much do you suppose is he paying these guys to “co-star” on his show. I’m not saying the arrest isn’t real. But his arresting them doesn’t give him the rights to sell their personal image - or does it?
Just to add something I believe Dog actually is a bondsman and therefore isnt working for one, but is protecting his financial interests by “arresting” those who skip bail.