Many people who write to me asking how to get started in the bail bond industry often include their martial arts background as a guide to the question at hand. I often laugh at that, but a rental email asked me the question, “How will my martial arts background apply to bounty hunting?”
Bounty hunter, I prefer Bail Enforcement Agents or Bail Investigators, by definition they face dangerous situations every day they go to work. We often stick our heads in the lion’s mouth every time we attempt to detain a defendant on guaranteed bail by serving a civil bail forfeiture order attached to a criminal failure to appear as capias. It’s easy to forget that what we do on a daily basis, often alone and poorly armed, is a MAJOR EVENT requiring highly trained SWAT teams within most law enforcement departments.
In my experience, which is longer and more varied than most in the bail bond recovery business, 1 in 100 people I have taken to jail for a surety will react violently to apprehension, but violence varies widely from simple resistance someone trying to shoot me with a firearm of some kind. Fortunately, 97% of these violent encounters do not require any use of force beyond the simple application of some “pain compliance” methods. Fortunately, I only had to use an Air-Taser once and point my firearm at a defendant or a co-actor once.
What happens in these violent situations is that we must immediately apply the use of continuous force, which clearly states that bail enforcers will use only force that is reasonable and legal, given the facts and circumstances known at the time. of the event to effectively bring an incident under control. The “reasonableness” of the use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable investigator on the scene at the time of the incident. A bail enforcement agent, who is authorized by the surety of a piece of bail, who makes or attempts to make an arrest need not withdraw or desist from his efforts due to resistance or threat of resistance from the arrested person; neither will said investigator be considered an aggressor nor will he lose his right to legitimate defense through the use of reasonable force to affect the arrest or prevent the escape or overcome resistance.
I cannot reasonably shoot a defendant for resisting the application of handcuffs if he does not pose an imminent threat to my own life. This is where pain fulfillment techniques that can be learned through many styles of martial arts or a system known as CDT® (fulfillment, direction, and elimination) are most appropriately applied. Simply put, these techniques consist of low-level stun, trigger points, escorts, and compliance techniques that can be used to control another person without causing permanent damage; Managing hostility, spreading anger, and escaping should also be applied where appropriate.
“Standing Ju Jitsu”, Aikido, and Judo are outstanding martial arts in their real-world application in the typical scenarios one may encounter in most bail enforcement actions. They are my choice of techniques to use, but it can take a lifetime to master the nuances and complexities of each art; This may not be practical for the new or aspiring fugitive recovery investigator. Perhaps the next best option for most should be CDT®, which is a personal protection system and not a martial art. Its creators claim that it can be learned quickly and effectively regardless of gender or size. Most importantly, CDT® techniques can be learned and mastered through a properly structured training course in a limited period of time and have been shown to work effectively against any gender and body size. I heard good things from my friends in law enforcement, however when the creators make dubious claims like “the most effective non-deadly force system in the world,” I have to stop and pause.
Either way, when a surety agent needs to use less than deadly force through empty-handed tactics, that person should be able to do so quickly, skillfully, and with reduced risk and responsibility for all involved. The longer an investigator has contact with a defendant or those seeking to avoid arrest, the greater the risk of injury or even death. In addition, depending on the actions of the defendant or the situation, the BEA may have to increase or decrease the amount of force used. The techniques discussed allow for the escalation and de-escalation of the legal force without causing serious or fatal injury and that is a huge advantage in my book when it comes to reducing the liability that often involves going “hands-on” with someone.
This is the nexus between martial arts, their real-world application as combat arts, and the modern bounty hunter.
