A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward (bounty). Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.

Laws in the U.S.[link]

In the United States legal system, the 1873 U.S. Supreme Court case Taylor v. Taintor, 16 Wall (83 U.S. 366, 21 L.Ed. 287), is cited as having established that the person into whose custody an accused is remanded as part of the accuser's bail has sweeping rights to that person (although this may have been accurate at the time the decision was reached, the portion cited was obiter dictum and has no binding precedential value). Most bounty hunters are employed by bail bondsmen: the bounty hunter is paid about 10% of the bail the fugitive initially paid. If the fugitive eludes bail, the bondsman, not the bounty hunter, is responsible for the remainder of the fugitive's bail. This is a way of ensuring his clients arrive at trial. In the United States, bounty hunters claim to catch 31,500 bail jumpers per year, about 90% of people who jump bail.^[1]

Bounty hunters are sometimes called "skiptracers", but this usage can be misleading. While bounty hunters are often skiptracers as well, skiptracing generally refers to the process of searching for an individual through less direct methods than active pursuit and apprehension, such as spies or debt collectors. It is a civil matter and does not always imply criminal conduct on the part of the individual being traced.

In the United States of America, bounty hunters have varying levels of authority in their duties with regard to their targets depending on which states they operate in. As opined in Taylor v. Taintor, and barring restrictions applicable state by state, a bounty hunter can enter the fugitive's private property without a warrant in order to execute a re-arrest. They cannot, however, enter the property of anyone other than the fugitive without a warrant or the owner's permission.

In some states, bounty hunters do not undergo any formal training, and are generally unlicensed, only requiring sanction from a bail bondsman to operate. In other states, however, they are held to varying standards of training and license. State legal requirements are often imposed on out-of-state bounty hunters, meaning a suspect could temporarily escape rearrest by entering a state in which the bail agent has limited or no jurisdiction.

Connecticut[link]

The State of Connecticut has a detailed licensing process which requires any person who wants to engage in the business as a bail enforcement agent (bounty hunter) must first obtain a professional license from the Commissioner of Public Safety; specifically detailing that "No person shall, as surety on a bond in a criminal proceeding or as an agent of such surety, engage in the business of taking or attempting to take into custody the principal on the bond who has failed to appear in court and for whom a re-arrest warrant or capias has been issued unless such person is licensed as a bail enforcement agent". Connecticut has strict standards which require Bail Enforcement Agents to pass an extensive background check and, while engaging in fugitive recovery operations, be uniformed, notify the local police barrack, wear a badge, and only carry licensed and approved firearms, including handguns and long guns which are permitted. Recently Connecticut State Police converted their Bail Enforcement Agent licensing unit to reflect the important role Bail Enforcement Agents play in the Connecticut criminal justice system; placing them in the newly defined Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.^[2]

Several schools in Connecticut have obtained certification by the Connecticut State Police to pre-license Bail Enforcement Agents in a minimum of 20 hours of Criminal Justice training and a minimum of eight hours of firearms training. Some of the more advanced schools offer specialized training in the area of tactical firearms to prepare BEA's for conducting dangerous recovery operations.^[3]

Kentucky[link]

Kentucky prohibits bounty hunting in any form. Only a peace officer may make an arrest on a warrant that is issued in NCIC.^[4] This is because the state does not have a system of bail bondsmen.

Louisiana[link]

Louisiana requires bounty hunters to wear clothing identifying them as such.^[4]

Texas[link]

A Texas bounty hunter is required to be a peace officer, Level III (armed) security officer, or a private investigator.^{[citation needed]}

Florida[link]

In Florida you must obtain a "limited surety agent" license from the Florida Department of Financial Services, Bureau of Agent and Agency Licensing, in order to legally apprehend bail fugitives.

International laws and legal protection[link]

Bounty hunters will run into serious legal problems if they try to get fugitives from other countries. Laws in nearly all countries outside the U.S. will judge the re-arrest of any fugitive by private persons as kidnapping, or the bail agent may incur the punishments of some other serious crime if local and international laws are broken by them.^{[clarification needed]} While the United States government generally allows the activities of bounty hunters in the United States, the government in other sovereign nations is not as tolerant of these activities when they are legally a felony.^[5]

Noted bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman (star of the TV series Dog the Bounty Hunter) was arrested in Mexico after he apprehended the multi-millionaire rapist and fugitive Andrew Luster. Chapman was subsequently released and returned to the U.S.^[1] Chapman himself was later declared a fugitive by a Mexican prosecutor and was subsequently arrested in the United States to be extradited back to Mexico. Chapman maintains that under Mexico's citizen arrest law, he and his crew acted under proper policy.

Daniel Kear of Fairfax, Virginia pursued and apprehended Sidney Jaffe at a residence in Canada and returned him to Florida to face trial. Kear was extradited to Canada in 1983, and convicted of kidnapping.^[5]

Several bounty hunters have also been arrested for killing the fugitive or apprehending the wrong individuals, mistaking innocent people for fugitives.^[6]

Unlike police officers, they have no legal protections against injuries to non-fugitives and few legal protections against injuries to their targets.

In a Texas case, bounty hunters Richard James and his partner DG Pearson were arrested in 2001 for felony charges during an arrest. The charges were levied by the fugitive and his family, but were later dismissed against the hunters after the fugitive's wife shot a deputy sheriff in another arrest attempt of the fugitive by the county sheriff's department. The hunters sued the fugitive and family, winning the civil suit for malicious prosecution with a judgment amount of $1.5 million.^{[citation needed]}

Bounty hunting in Rhodesia[link]

During the Rhodesian Bush War, cattle rustling reached epidemic proportions in the late 1970s. This was part of a twofold strategy of the guerrillas against the white minority government in Salisbury. First, it led to starvation in the Tribal Trust Lands; second, it negatively affected the economy of Rhodesia. Since the Army and the British South Africa Police were overstretched on three fronts, soon mercenaries were hired to confront the rustlers. They were called Range Detectives, and most of them were Vietnam veterans, some of them members of The Crippled Eagles. Payment was roughly 7 Rhodesian dollars a day, and a 750 Rhodesian dollar bonus for each rustler caught.^[7]

In fiction[link]

Bounty hunting has been adopted by several action-oriented vehicles, including Westerns, science fiction, fantasy and stories set in modern times. Typically, hunters are depicted as assisting law enforcement agencies in the apprehension of wanted criminals, but also as mercenaries who give their services to powerful criminal figures rather than the proper authorities. Such characters have appeared in books, TV series, movies, comics and games from around the world. These include characters like Rick Deckard from Blade Runner; Boba Fett from the "Star Wars" movies; Reno Raines in the TV series Renegade; Rally Vincent of the manga Gunsmith Cats; Jubal Early from the Firefly franchise; Samus Aran from the Metroid video game series; and several characters in Cowboy Bebop.

• In Westerns, bounty hunters are commonly depicted as loners, cynical yet romantic. The first depiction of the occupation in film was André de Toth's The Bounty Hunter^{[citation needed]} in 1954 starring Randolph Scott.

• Steve McQueen played bounty hunter Josh Randall in the television series Wanted: Dead or Alive for three seasons, making him a star.^[8] The series was followed many years later by a film sequel — Wanted: Dead or Alive (1987) — in which Rutger Hauer played Nick Randall, Josh Randall's grandson. McQueen's final film was The Hunter, a biography of modern day bounty hunter Ralph "Papa" Thorsen.

• The Sergio Leone film For a Few Dollars More starred Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters chasing the same criminal, but with different motivations for pursuing their target.

• In the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), the character Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter who is tasked with "retiring" escaped androids. In the film adaptation, which was retitled Blade Runner (1982), the bounty hunters are called blade runners.

• Chasseur de primes (French for "bounty hunter") is a Belgian comics adventure in the popular Lucky Luke series which is set in the Old West. It was published in book form in 1972. In this story, bounty hunters are presented as being shunned and despised by society since their motivation to capture outlaws is based more on greed than an actual love for justice. An example is when a bounty hunter orders a drink at the saloon and the barman contemptuously pours it out on the bar rather than in a glass. The book has been published in English.

• Bounty hunting is depicted as a common trade in the Star Wars franchise, with such characters as Jango and Boba Fett, Greedo, IG-88, Zam Wesell and Cad Bane. Another is Valance the Hunter, a cyborg, who played an important role in the early Marvel Comics adaptations of the series in the late 1970s, confronting, and almost defeating, both Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. "Bounty Hunter" is also one of four playable classes for the Imperials's faction in BioWare's MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic.

• Strontium Dog is a British science fiction comic series set in the future in which physically deformed mutated humans work as bounty hunters for the Search/Destroy Agency, which answers to the galactic police force.

• In the television series The Fall Guy, Lee Majors played a Hollywood stunt man who takes bounty hunting assignments on the side (which is the focus of each episode).

• The television show MacGyver features a family of bounty hunters (brothers Jesse, Frank and Billy) as recurring characters.

• In the 1988 film Midnight Run, Robert De Niro plays a modern day bounty hunter, who is trying to bring in a mob accountant played by Charles Grodin.

• In the 1993 film Bounty Tracker, Lorenzo Lamas is a bounty hunter trying to avenge his brother's murder by catching the hitman.

• In the 1994 anime OVA Iria: Zeiram the Animation, the protagonist Iria is an apprentice bounty hunter, as are her brother Glen, their partner Bob, and Iria's rival Fujikuro.

• In the Stephanie Plum novels, written by Janet Evanovich, the main character is a bounty hunter described as "incredibly average and yet heroic if necessary" by the author. There are 15 full length novels and 4 holiday edition novellas. Each book revolves around Stephanie trying to catch her main bounty while destroying cars, getting help from love interests, and dealing with her abnormal family.

• In the Japanese manga One Piece, the character Roronoa Zoro is a bounty hunter who later became a pirate.

• In the Japanese manga Black Cat, the story revolves around assassins and bounty hunters (called sweepers). The main character Train Heartnet, is an assassin with the Chrono Numbers. He is later convinced by woman who guides him to leave them to be a sweeper (bounty hunter) with Sven Vollfied and then later a 11 year old girl cloned weapon named Eve, and other sweepers.

• In the thriller Scarecrow, written by Matthew Reilly, the main character, Schofield, is pursued by bounty hunters and is fiercely protected by Aloysius Knight, the "Black Knight", who is himself a bounty hunter.

• In Ben 10, the main antagonist called Vilgax, send some bounty hunters to take an powerful technology device called "The Omnitrix"; they are Sixsix, Kraab, and Tetrax. However, Tetrax decided to protect the device.

• In 2005, the real-life bounty hunter Domino Harvey was portrayed by Keira Knightley in the film Domino. Although the film was only loosely based on the life of Harvey, making it partially fictitious, it helped to illustrate the rising popularity of bounty hunters in modern U.S. culture.^{[citation needed]}

• In the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, June is a bounty hunter hired by Zuko (during the first season) to hunt down Avatar Aang.

• In the video game Need for Speed: Carbon, former Sgt. Cross (from Need for Speed: Most Wanted) returns as a bounty hunter to arrest the player.

• In the Simpsons episode Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes Homer Simpson and Ned Flanders work as bounty hunters.

• In the 2008 Transformers Animated series, the former Autobot Lockdown quit the Elite Guard and became a bounty hunter for both factions.

• In the 2010 movie The Bounty Hunter the main character Milo must chase down his ex-wife Nicole after she assaults a police officer.

See also[link]

• Skiptrace
• Thief-taker
• False arrest
• United States Marshals Service#Fugitive programs

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• National Association of Fugitive Recovery Agents (NAFRA™)
• National Association of Bail Bond Investigators (NABBI™)
• Bounty Hunters Bounty Huners - TSI Swiss National TV Documentary on Bail Agent/Bounty Hunters
• Epstein, Edward "House OKs ban on licenses for illegal immigrants; Bill also encourages bounty hunters to track down those ordered deported" San Francisco Chronicle February 11, 2005
• Bounty Hunting at HowStuffWorks

Beenie Man
Beenie Man performing in August 2008
Background information
Birth name	Anthony Moses Davis
Also known as	Ras Moses, The Doctor, The Girls Dem Sugar[1]
Born	(1973-08-22) August 22, 1973 (age 38)
Origin	Kingston, Jamaica
Genres	Reggae, dancehall, reggae fusion, ragga-soca
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, deejay, producer
Years active	late 1970s–present
Labels	Brookland Universal Republic Island Jamaica/PolyGram Records Virgin/EMI Records
Associated acts	Don Omar, Snow (musician), Talib Kweli, Memphis Bleek, YoungBloodZ, Pastor Troy, Johnny J , T.I.
Website	www.beeniemanmusic.com

Anthony Moses Davis (August 22, 1973),^[2] better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".

Biography[link]

Davis was born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1973.^[2][3][4] He was involved in the music industry from a young age, starting toasting at the age of five, and was encouraged by his uncle Sydney Wolfe, who played drums for Jimmy Cliff.^[5][6] He won the Tastee Talent contest in 1981,^[3][7] and Radio DJ Barry G introduced him to local sound system operators, who helped to establish the popularity of the young deejay, who became known as Beenie Man.^[5] He recorded his debut single, "Too Fancy", with record producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes in 1981, with Lawes also including him on the 1983 album Junjo Presents Two Big Sounds alongside established stars such as Dillinger, Fathead, and Ringo.^[3] His debut album, The Invincible Beenie Man: The Ten Year Old DJ Wonder was produced by Bunny Lee and released in 1983,^[8] his first hit single following the same year with the Winston Holness-produced "Over the Sea".^[3] In 1984 Beenie Man recorded some material with Barrington Levy (released ten years later), but his music career was put on hold while he finished school, and spent time travelling to the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada.^[3]

1990s return[link]

Beenie Man continued performing and honed his craft beside the then dominant dancehall figures including Ninjaman, Admiral Bailey and Shabba Ranks. He found his artistic home at the Shocking Vibes studio where he continued to record singles with only moderate success in the early 1990s. His career gained momentum after a performance at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in 1992, and a rivalry with Bounty Killer began the following year after Beenie Man was accused of stealing Bounty Killer's style and catch phrases.^[3] The rivalry was captured on the 1994 album Guns Out, with the two artists settling the feud with a soundclash.^[3] Beenie Man had his first number one single in Jamaica in 1993 with "Matie", and he won the DJ of the Year Award the same year, the first of eight consecutive awards.^[7]

International stardom[link]

Partially as a result of prodding from his producers, Sly and Robbie, with whom he recorded cover versions of Bob Marley's "Crazy Baldhead" and "No Woman No Cry" in 1994, the latter a Jamaican chart-topper, Beenie Man converted to the Rastafari movement, as did several of his contemporaries at the time, although in 2005 he stated "I have not converted. I was baptised an Ethiopian Orthodox and at the age of 10 I became a Judah Coptic."^[3][6] In 1994, he was signed by Island Records and released the critically acclaimed album Blessed, which established his reputation internationally.^[3] In 1995 he toured the UK and joined up again with Barrington Levy to record an updated jungle version of Levy's "Under Mi Sensi".^[3]

In 1995, Beenie Man collaborated with Dennis Brown and Triston Palmer to release Three Against War and Mad Cobra and Lieutenant Stitchie on Mad Cobra Meets Lt. Stitchie & Beenie Man. He also collaborated with Lady Saw on "Healing", Sanchez on "Refugee", and Michael Prophet on "Gun 'n' Bass", further establishing his reputation.^[3] He took another step up the ladder in 1996, releasing the seminal Maestro, produced by Patrick Roberts and shot him to UK fame. During the period from the mid to late 1990s, Beenie Man dominated the Jamaican charts to the extent that he perhaps had a good claim to the crown of "Dancehall King", a title only bestowed previously on Yellowman in the early 1980s. Beenie Man's first real break into the United States came in 1997. He heard an instrumental rhythm by an unknown producer named Jeremy Harding, and demanded to add his voice to the rhythm. So this was the birth of his first international hit; he recorded "Who Am I" and the single quickly went Gold. It opened the doors for the world to see a new reggae star in the pages of Newsweek and other major media outlets. The same year, Beenie Man topped the Jamaican singles chart with seven different singles.^[3]

Beenie Man appeared as himself in the 1997 film Dancehall Queen.

In 1998, Beenie Man headlined Reggae Sunsplash and signed to Virgin Records to release albums in the United States. His first American offering was The Doctor (1998). During the late 1990s, Beenie Man began his conquest of America with the hits, "Romie", "Who Am I", and "Girls Dem Sugar", which featured American R&B singer, Mýa. During this time he received an impressive number of international music awards including a MOBO Award for Best International Reggae Act in 1998,^[9] while remaining at the top of the local charts. In 2000, Beenie Man released Art & Life, which featured Arturo Sandoval and Wyclef Jean (The Fugees), for which received a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.^[3] In the same year he co-produced (with Wyclef Jean) the debut album by actor Steven Seagal.^[3] Beenie Man, like many dancehall artists is outspoken on a number of social issues, as exemplified by songs such as "Steve Biko" and "Murderer".^[10][11][12]

In 2002, he had a sizeable hit with a duet with Janet Jackson called "Feel It Boy", but his biggest break in America came in early 2004 with the release of a remix of "Dude", featuring guest vocals by fellow Jamaican Ms. Thing, as well as rhymes by Shawnna. He thus cemented his fan base on both sides of the Atlantic.

He had hits in the UK in 1998 with "Who am I" (#10), in 2003 with "Street Life" (#13) and "Feel It Boy" (UK #9), a duet with Janet Jackson, and in 2004 with "Dude" (#7) and "King of the Dancehall" (#14).^[13]

He was also a judge for the 6th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.^[14]

In April 2008 it was announced that Beenie Man was to co-write and star in the film Kingston.^[15] In October 2010 Beenie Man came out with the EP "I'm Drinking Rum and Red Bull", which included 4 songs, "Im drinking Rum and Red Bull", "I'm Okay", and two versions of "Stack and Pile". He later relaased the full album on February 28, 2011. "Im Drinking Rum and Red Bull" features Future Fambo. In September 2008 Beenie Man was cleared of charges of tax evasion.^[16][17]

In April 2009, Beenie Man signed with Brookland Entertainment, a new record label formed by Eric Nicks and The Trackmasters, in preparation to release his new album, "The Legend Returns". The music video for the release of his new single “Gimme Gimme” will be shot in Canada on April 18, 2009. The song "Let's Go" was released on the Overproof Riddim compilation album in 2011.

Personal life[link]

Beenie Man married Michelle "D'Angel" Downer on August 22, 2006. Downer was previously known as long-time girlfriend to Bounty Killer. They have a son together, Marco Dean,^[18] born in November 2006. In June 2007, Beenie Man separated from his wife due to her alleged infidelity. In March 2010, they released a duet single titled "You Are My First", although at the time they were separated.^[18] The couple divorced in 2011.^[19]

Controversy[link]

The lyrics to some of his songs have been criticized for inciting the murder of homosexuals.^[20] He was removed from the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards after protests by gay-rights activists.^[21] That same year, Beenie Man was stopped by police at Heathrow Airport in London, after the cancellation of a concert in England.^[22] He then issued an apology for the lyrics through his record company.^[23] In 2005, gay rights group OutRage! suspended their opposition to Beenie Man after he agreed not to play songs featuring homophobic lyrics, and he performed in London that year.^[24] The following year, he claimed his lyrics were anti-pedophilia, not against consensual homosexual relationships.^[25]

In 2007, it was reported that Beenie Man, along with several other artists, had signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, an agreement to cease performances of anti-gay material.^[26] He later denied that he had signed the act.^[27] As of 2010, protests have continued to cause cancellations of his concerts in some countries, including New Zealand, Belgium and the Netherlands.^[28][29][30]

In 2012, Beenie Man apologized to the gay community for his earlier 'homophobic' lyrics: "Let me make this clear and straight.^[31] I have nothing against no one. I respect each and every human being, regardless of which race or creed, regardless of which religious belief you believe in, and regardless of which sexual preference you are, including gays and lesbian people. I respect all human...Please I am begging you do not have me up for some songs I wrote a long time ago. I love each and every one and am just begging each and everyone to do the same."^[32][33]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 1983: The Invincible Beenie Man: The Incredible Ten Year Old DJ Wonder - Bunny Lee
• 1992: Cool Cool Rider - VP
• 1994: Dis Unu Fi Hear - High Tone
• 1994: Defend It VP
• 1994: Guns Out with Bounty Killer - Greensleeves
• 1995: Blessed - Island
• 1995: Maestro - Greensleeves & VP
• 1995: Mad Cobra Meets Lt. Stitchie & Beenie Man - VP
• 1997: Many Moods Of Moses - VP
• 1999: Y2K - Artists Only
• 1999: Ruff n Tuff
• 1999: The Doctor - VP
• 2000: Art and Life - Virgin
• 2001: Black Liberty
• 2001: Youth Quake
• 2002: Tropical Storm
• 2004: Back to Basics
• 2006: Concept of Life
• 2006: Hundred Dollar Bag
• 2006: Undisputed
• 2007: Monsters of Dancehall
• 2009: The Legend Returns
• 2012: TBA

Compilations[link]

• 1995: All the Best
• 2000: Best of Beenie Man
• 2002: Gold - The Very Best of - Charm
• 2005: Kingston to King of the Dancehall
• 2005: Greatest Hits So Far

Live albums[link]

• 2004: Live in San Francisco

Mixtapes and unofficial releases[link]

• 2000: Trendsetter
• 2004: Cool Cool Rider - The Roots of a Dancehall Don
• 2006: Its Ah! Beenie (riddim mixtape)
• 2007: Monsters of Dancehall

Singles[link]

• 1981: "Too Fancy"
• 1983: "Over the Sea"
• 1993: "Matie" (PROD by Dave and Donovan Mills and Efraim Barrett on the Shelly Power label)
• 1995: "Slam"
• 1995: "Romie"
• 1995: "Old Dog"
• 1995: "Healing" (with Lady Saw)
• 1997: "Dancehall Queen" (with Chevelle Franklin)
• 1998: "Who Am I (Sim Simma)"
• 1998: "Tell Me"
• 2000: "Jungle Boogie" (featuring Sly and Robbie)
• 2000: "Love Me Now" (featuring Wyclef Jean)
• 2000: "Girls Dem Sugar" (featuring Mýa)
• 2002: "Fresh from Yard" (featuring Lil' Kim)
• 2002: "Feel It Boy" (featuring Janet Jackson)
• 2002: "Red Red Red" (with Robyn)
• 2003: "Street Life" (featuring Assia)
• 2003: "Bossman" (featuring Sean Paul and Lady Saw)
• 2004: "Dude" (featuring Ms. Thing and Shawnna)
• 2004: "King of the Dancehall"
• 2005: "Specialists" (featuring Vybz Kartel)
• 2006: "Girls" (featuring Akon)
• 2006: "Hmm Hmm"
• 2006: "Dreaming of You" (featuring Alaine)
• 2007: "Give It Up" (featuring Barbee)
• 2008: "Wine Gyal"
• 2008: "Pickney Nah Hold Yah Dung"
• 2008: "Gimme Gimme"
• 2010: "I'm Drinking/Rum & Red Bull"
• 2012: "Let's Go"