EDITOR NOTE–49, you are correct. It’s the law. Grumpy, if you are serious, get your legislator to ask the question on your behalf. “Do we have any laws regarding authority of bondsmen and bounty hunters with regard to arrest, use of deadly force, and serving court issued warrants?”

1) I can find ZERO authority for any bonds agent (or anyone “empowered” by a bonds agent) to use force of any kind.

2) I’m not sure I understand whether or not the enforcement guy has to be licensed like the actual Bond Agency, since 19.2914 says “the surety insurance company or its bail agent or the person posting a property bond or cash deposit may empower any person of suitable age and discretion to arrest the defendant at any place within the state by signing an affidavit extending such authority in a form approved by the supreme court.” –
Which seems to say the guys doing to “arresting” don’t have to have any training or licensing.

3) As far as the Bond Agent – there is ZERO training required and licensing is merely a matter of paying the fees and memorizing enough ID Titles/Statutes and general legal definitions to pass a contracted out-of-state company’s online test.

4) There should be a full glut of consequences for this type of “bond enforcement” which would REQUIRE charges in cases like this one.

5) Since the Bond Agent is ultimately responsible for the actions of it’s “representatives”, doesn’t that leave a lot of room for wrongful death litigation to include the licensing agency as well (In this case, ID Dept of Insurance)?

6) I don’t understand why LE hasn’t charged the shooter, since the man who was killed, had not yet been tried (only arrested/charged) and should still have his full rights as an innocent-until-proven-guilty victim, in this case.

We live in a police-state, where we the people are over-policed and the police have too much power, and vigilantes run wild.

Thank you Guardian, for your hard work on this and other issues.

A man or woman having skipped out on court forfeits any rights they may have possessed at least with respect to this. They or more precisely- their bodies are the collateral. Bail recovery agents are essentially authorized to repo the collateral by any means necessary which includes walking right into a house or vehicle un-announced and without a search warrant.

It is the ultimate citizens arrest and a fascinating little corner of our legal system which mostly has gone un-noticed or un cared about for 175 years or so.

That bail agent has far more protection than any cop. Really.

EDITOR NOTE–You are correct about a citizen’s arrest. ANYONE can make an arrest for any offense. IDAHO CODE 19-601. ARREST DEFINED. An arrest is taking a person into custody in a case and in the manner authorized by law. An arrest may be made by a peace officer or by a private person.

“Idaho Code does require bondsmen to be responsible for the actions of their agents.”

I’m not sure Idaho Code requires police to be responsible for their “actions” either. So what’s the difference?