Carlos Rivera

Florissant, Missouri

 

What are some of the positives and negatives of your job?

*******************************************************************************

Carlos,

 

What a great question... probably my favorite in over 2 years of actively responding to questions from my websites!  I honestly couldn't wait to put some time aside to answer this one because it is when we reflect on all that we have that we are best able to appreciate it!

 

Some of the positive aspects of being a bail investigator:

* My day to day routine is NEVER the same. The people are NEVER the same.

* I meet al sorts of people from all walks of life- from the homeless to the ultra-rich, drug dealers and prostitutes to doctors and politicians.

* I work the hours that I want to- if I want to take a day off, I just do it.

* Knowing that I am doing a service to my community. I feel great when I am recognized for my contributions!

* The travel is great.

* DEFINITELY THE PAY!!!!!

* Getting paid for finding defendants who are already in jail. How easy is that!

* One of the best aspects of my job is the mental challenge that comes with finding fugitives who are actively hiding. I have to try and put myself in the defendant's head and answer the only question that matters, "If I were him (or her) where would I run to?"

* I love feeling like a predator- I'm the hunter, the defendant is the prey.

* The mysteriousness of what I do is pretty cool and never really gets old.

* Of course the best part is that rush when I first identify myself to the defendant, getting him into custody, and successfully closing another assignment.

* Did I mention the pay??????

* Being asked, "How the hell did you find me???"

* Going home to my family when the work is done.

 

The negatives side of bounty hunting:

 

* The term bounty hunter.

* The negative impression that the public oftentimes has regarding our profession.

* Negative stereotypes constantly being reinforced in the media.

* The boredom while I am on stakeouts or surveillance.

* Long extradition drives with a whimpering whining defendant in the back of the car.

* I hated arresting a the nicest 80 year old lady I may have ever me for failure to appear on a DWI charge that her attorney had told her was completely taken care of, she cried a lot- that sucked and I still carry that around with me. There are many other similar situations but not to the same extreme.

* I HATE running into people who I have picked up before in public, especially when they are drunk... it's either "I love you man, thanks for what you did for me." or "You Mother Fu..er! Blah Blah Blah..." I had this happen to me in front of my wife one time; he was threatening me and carrying on, that's not the side of my job I prefer that she sees.

* The scariest thing is not seeing that really upset guy, but he sees you.

* It's easy to feel vulnerable to pissed off fugitives who get out of jail with a chip on their shoulder if you haven't protected your privacy well enough.

* Being woken up a 3 in the morning by an informant with information.

* Meeting law enforcement officers who do not understand what I am doing is legal.

 

BY FAR the positives outweigh the negatives of a job in bail enforcement! I am excited to wake up every morning of my life because I don't know what's in store for me that day, the challenges I will face and then being even more determined to overcome them! I'm sure that I missed a few things but if I think of any additional important ones, I'll let you know.

 

Warmest Regards,

 

L. Scott Harrell

CompassPoint Investigations

"In Relentless Pursuit for Your Success"