I just stumbled upon an article from last year reporting that Duane "The Dog" Chapman was shot at while trying to aprehend someone in Colorado. Dog is famous for his A&E television show "Dog the Bounty Hunter" which portrays him as a kind bail bondsman and relentless bounty hunter operating in both Hawaii and Colorado.

Bail Bonds Are a Risky Business

Dog the Bounty Hunter certainly makes the bounty hunting and bail enforcement profession seem exciting and glamorous. However, the shooting in Colorado last year underscores just how risky the bail bonds business really is. For example, a bail bondsman may write Las Vegas bail bonds for people who do not appear in court. The Las Vegas bail bondsman is at risk of having to lose the entire bail amount if the defendant is not brought before the court. That could potentially be tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.

When Bail Bonds Turn to Bounty Hunting

The bail bonds business is guided by some very, very old laws. In essence, the court views a bail bondsman as a jailer to the defendant while the individual is out on bail bond. When the defendant fails to appear in court, the bail bondsman must then locate the defendant and return them to court. Often this function is performed by a bounty hunter. A bounty hunter is a professional that retrieves those that "skip". Unfortunately, some defendants resort to violence in an attempt to not be returned to jail. That is exactly what happened to Dog the Bounty Hunter last year. While trying to take Hoang Nguyen into custody, he shot at Dog the Bounty Hunter and Bobby Brown who was the bail bondsman.

A Bail Bondsman Has To Trust His Customers

Bail bonds are the only business where so much trust is placed with a customer that the business owner doesn't even know. The circumstances are really shocking if you think about it. Imagine that someone was just arrested and then essentially asks a bail bondsman for a loan to get out of jail. The bail bondsman is mandated by law on the price they can charge for their bail bonds service. In return, the defendant says they promise to appear in court so the bail bondsman doesn't lose the bail amount. If the defendant doesn't appear, the bail bondsman must then locate and return the defendant to court or lose the bail amount. While doing so, the bail bondsman or bounty hunter risks personal safety and their lives in many cases to return the defedant to court. While talking to your Las Vegas Bail Bondsman, remember that the relationship is a two way street. You need to trust that bail bondsman is going to be a good steward of your money and judicial process, while they need to trust your honor and integrity in doing what you've promised to do.