Bounty hunters also known as evasive recovery agents in Texas are not enrolled in issuing licenses or certificates by the authority. You will have to bear in mind that by serving as a bounty hunter without fulfilling the legal requirements imposed by the state authority, you might be arrested for a felony.
Bounty hunters in Texas have not authorized law enforcement officers appointed by the county rather they perform their job as part of private investigation and security guard companies. If you try to present yourself as a law enforcement officer while performing your job as a bounty hunter in Texas will surely be against the law of the state.
How to Become a Bounty hunter in Texas
Despite this according to statistics from May 2012 Texas, private investigators (a lot of them likely worked as bounty hunter) is entitled to a yearly salary of $ 64,810 which is considered the second highest payment for bounty hunters in the USA.
What to do to be a bounty hunter in Texas?
You have to choose the best suitable way from the following three ways
- The best way is to become a licensed peace officer of the state after completion of your education and other licensure requirements
- You can become a private investigator first. For that, you must be issued a private investigator’s license patronized by a company of private investigation. You should complete 30 hours of specialized training on private investigation. You must pass the test held at the time of training.
- You may be a commissioned security officer which will guide you to be a bounty hunter later. For that purpose, you should complete 30 hours of specialized training which has to be approved by Texas Private Security Board’ (PSB)
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Basic requirements
As like other professional activity requirements, bounty hunters also demand some basic requirements which are as follows-
- US citizenship is a must
- You should not have any criminal records. It would help if you were not an addiction to alcohol or drugs. Have not been proven guilty for convictions for Class A criminal activities or felonies
- You should be free of any Class B misdemeanors in the previous 5 years ( for a peace officer it is 10 years)
- Mentally sound
- Have the ability to drive a vehicle legally
- Have legal firearms
- You must be over 21 years of age
- Diploma from High School. GED along with twelve hours of college credit is also applicable. More college credit may give you some extra privileges
Education and Training for success
Only a college degree is not enough to prove you as a competent candidate. You should have a GED in lieu of a High School Diploma. You should have completed college credit for at least 12 hours in this situation. You should obtain the certificate, and associate’s degree. A bachelor’s degree in the area of criminal justice or a related area of subject will help you to be a strong candidate for a bounty hunter selection in Texas.
The area or subject that you need to study are-
- Applied Science in Criminal Justice
- A Bachelor Degree in Business Administration majoring Legal Studies
- Related to Science in Business Management
- Bachelor Degree in Science (Criminal Justice)
All the candidates should enroll in a special training program on the basis of the chosen pathway to be a bounty hunter in Texas.
Relevant Career Articles:
- How to Become a Bail Bondsman in Texas
- How to Become a Constable in Texas
- How to Become a Justice of the Peace in Texas
- How to Become a Correctional Officer in Texas
Texas Bounty hunters can follow these professional organizations
To prepare yourself as the fittest one you may join a state-run or national professional organization to be a bounty hunter in Texas. These will help you to follow a network of other such types of bounty hunters, to find and get employment and also to attend further educational opportunities. You can follow the organizations listed below:
- National Association of Bail Enforcement Agents
- United Stated Professional Bail Bond Investigators Association
- International Private Investigators Union (IPIU)
