A Bounty Hunter Aka A Fugitive Recovery Agent, is an important part of a bail bond company. The practice of recovering a criminal defendant who has failed to appear or violated his conditions of release goes back to the U.S. Supreme Court case Taylor v. Taint or 83 U.S. 366(1872).
Bounty hunting is a very serious responsibility and task taken on by professional bail bond companies. Recovering or arresting a defendant may be done by the bail bond person or may be done by a person appointed by the bail bond company.
A bail bond company may enter a dwelling without a warrant and may cross state lines pursuing a defendant. Bounty hunting is regulated differently from state to state and sometimes not regulated at all. The states of Oregon, Kentucky and Illinois do not have bail bondsmen therefore, do not allow Bounty hunters to operate in their state.