Bail Bonds Law: Fugitive Recovery
Perhaps better known as Bounty Hunters, Fugitive Recovery Persons are regulated. The following California Bail laws the California Penal Code as related to bail, particularly Penal Code 1299, the Fugitive Recovery Act with additional code references for arrest of defendant, surrender and warrants. Tonya Page Bail Bonds is not responsible for omissions or errors, for further clarification please visit my online privacy policy statement.
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Apprehend; detain; arrest; bail fugitive; authorized by |
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Arrest of defendant for purpose of surrender |
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Arrest; defendant in any county |
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Arrest; felony; county |
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Contents of order of recommitment |
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Criminal records; dissemination to bail agents |
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Defendant; arrest for purpose of surrender |
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Dissemination of criminal records |
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Entering premises; fugitive recovery |
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Entering warrants into NCIC |
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Execute warrant; magistrate |
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Fugitive Recovery Persons Act |
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Fugitive Recovery Persons; defined |
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Fugitive Recovery Persons; documentation; authority |
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Fugitive Recovery Persons; misleading representation |
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Fugitive Recovery Persons; qualifications; training; requirement |
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Fugitive recovery; arrest; notification; law enforcement; time |
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Fugitive recovery; entering premises |
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Fugitive recovery; firearms |
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Fugitive recovery; private investigators |
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Fugitive recovery; private investigators; exempt |
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Fugitive recovery; statute term |
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Fugitive recovery; violations |
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Misleading representation; fugitive recovery persons |
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Notification; arrests; apprehend; law enforcement; time |
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Qualifications; fugitive recovery person; training; requirement |
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Recommitment of defendant; what cases |
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Recommitment order; contents |
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Recommitment; order for; bail on |
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Records; criminal; dissemination |
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Recovery of costs; motion to vacate forfeiture |
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Surrender; who may make; method |
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Apprehend; detain; arrest; bail fugitive; authorized by
Penal 1299.02
See also Failure to Appear & Fugitives
1299.02. (a) No person, other than a certified law enforcement officer, shall be authorized to apprehend, detain, or arrest a bail fugitive unless that person meets one of the following conditions: (1) Is a bail as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1299.01 or a depositor of bail as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 1299.01.
Arrest of defendant for purpose of surrender
Penal 1301
See also Failure to Appear & Fugitives
1301. For the purpose of surrendering the defendant, the bail or any person who has deposited money or bonds to secure the release of the defendant, at any time before such bail or other person is finally discharged, and at any place within the state, may himself arrest defendant, or by written authority indorsed on a certified copy of the undertaking or a certified copy of the certificate of deposit, may empower any person of suitable age to do so. Any bail or other person who so arrests a defendant in this state shall, without unnecessary delay, and, in any event, within 48 hours of the arrest, deliver the defendant to the court or magistrate before whom the defendant is required to appear or to the custody of the sheriff or police for confinement in the appropriate jail in the county or city in which defendant is required to appear. Any bail or other person who arrests a defendant outside this state shall, without unnecessary delay after the time defendant is brought into this state, and, in any event, within 48 hours after defendant is brought into this state, deliver the defendant to the custody of the court or magistrate before whom the defendant is required to appear or to the custody of the sheriff or police for confinement in the appropriate jail in the county or city in which defendant is required to appear. Any bail or other person who willfully fails to deliver a defendant to the court, magistrate, sheriff, or police as required by this section is guilty of a misdemeanor. The provisions of this section relating to the time of delivery of a defendant are for his benefit and, with the consent of the bail, may be waived by him. To be valid, such waiver shall be in writing, signed by the defendant, and delivered to such bail or other person within 48 hours after the defendant’s arrest or entry into this state, as the case may be. The defendant, at any time and in the same manner, may revoke said waiver. Whereupon, he shall be delivered as provided herein without unnecessary delay and, in any event within 48 hours from the time of such revocation. If any 48-hour period specified in this section terminates on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, delivery of a defendant by a bail or other person to the court or magistrate or to the custody of the sheriff or police may, without violating this section, take place before noon on the next day following which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday.
Arrest; defendant in any county
Penal 1312
See also Failure to Appear & Fugitives
1312. The defendant may be arrested pursuant to the order, upon a certified copy thereof, in any county, in the same manner as upon a warrant of arrest, except that when arrested in another county the order need not be indorsed by a magistrate of that county.
Arrest; felony; county
Penal 821
See also Failure to Appear & Fugitives
821. If the offense charged is a felony, and the arrest occurs in the county in which the warrant was issued, the officer making the arrest must take the defendant before the magistrate who issued the warrant or some other magistrate of the same county. If the defendant is arrested in another county, the officer must, without unnecessary delay, inform the defendant in writing of his right to be taken before a magistrate in that county, note on the warrant that he has so informed defendant, and, upon being required by defendant, take him before a magistrate in that county, who must admit him to bail in the amount specified in the endorsement referred to in Section 815a, and direct the defendant to appear before the court or magistrate by whom the warrant was issued on or before a day certain which shall in no case be more than 25 days after such admittance to bail. If bail be forthwith given, the magistrate shall take the same and endorse thereon a memorandum of the aforesaid order for the appearance of the defendant, or, if the defendant so requires, he may be released on bail set on the warrant by the issuing court, as provided in Section 1269b of this code, without an appearance before a magistrate. If the warrant on which the defendant is arrested in another county does not have bail set thereon, or if the defendant arrested in another county does not require the arresting officer to take him before a magistrate in that county for the purpose of being admitted to bail, or if such defendant, after being admitted to bail, does not forthwith give bail, the arresting officer shall immediately notify the law enforcement agency requesting the arrest in the county in which the warrant was issued that such defendant is in custody, and thereafter such law enforcement agency shall take custody of the defendant within five days, or five court days if the law enforcement agency requesting the arrest is more than 400 miles from the county in which the defendant is held in custody, in the county in which he was arrested and shall take such defendant before the magistrate who issued the warrant, or before some other magistrate of the same county.
Contents of order of recommitment
Penal 1311
1311. The order for the recommitment of the defendant must recite generally the facts upon which it is founded, and direct that the defendant be arrested by any sheriff, marshal, or policeman in this state, and committed to the officer in whose custody he or she was at the time he or she was admitted to bail, to be detained until legally discharged.
Criminal records; dissemination to bail agents
Penal 11105.6
11105.6. Upon the request of a licensed bail agent or bail bond licensee, as described in Sections 1276 and 1276.5, a local law enforcement agency may furnish an individual’s known aliases and booking photograph, information identifying whether the individual has been convicted of any violent felony, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5, and an unaltered copy of the booking and property record, excluding any medical information, to the agent or licensee if all of the following circumstances exist: (a) The information is from the record of a person for whom a bench warrant has been issued, or for whom a bail forfeiture has been ordered. (b) The person described in subdivision (a) is a client of the agent or licensee. (c) The agent or licensee pays to the law enforcement agency a fee equal to the cost of providing the information. (d) Any information obtained pursuant to this section is confidential and the recipient bail agent or bail bond licensee shall not disclose its contents, other than for the purpose for which it was acquired. A violation of this subdivision is a misdemeanor.
Entering premises; fugitive recovery
Penal 1299.09
1299.09. (a) An individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive shall not forcibly enter a premises except as provided for in Section 844. (b) Nothing in subdivision (a) shall be deemed to authorize an individual authorized by Section 12099.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive to apprehend, detain, or arrest any person except as otherwise authorized pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 833) of Title 3 of Part 2, or any other provision of law.
Entering warrants into NCIC
Penal 980
See also Court Responsibilities
980. (a) At any time after the order for a bench warrant is made,
whether the court is sitting or not, the clerk may issue a bench
warrant to one or more counties.
(b) The clerk shall require the appropriate agency to enter each
bench warrant issued on a private surety-bonded felony case into the
national warrant system (National Crime Information Center (NCIC)).
If the appropriate agency fails to enter the bench warrant into the
national warrant system (NCIC), and the court finds that this failure
prevented the surety or bond agent from surrendering the fugitive
into custody, prevented the fugitive from being arrested or taken
into custody, or resulted in the fugitive’s subsequent release from
custody, the court having jurisdiction over the bail shall, upon
petition, set aside the forfeiture of the bond and declare all
liability on the bail bond to be exonerated.
1196. (a) The clerk, or the judge or justice, if there is no clerk, must at any time after the order issue a bench warrant into one or more counties. (b) The clerk, or the judge or justice, shall require the appropriate agency to enter each bench warrant issued on a private surety-bonded felony case into the national warrant system (National Crime Information Center (NCIC)). If the appropriate agency fails to enter the bench warrant into the national warrant system (NCIC), and the court finds that this failure prevented the surety or bond agent from surrendering the fugitive into custody, prevented the fugitive from being arrested or taken into custody, or resulted in the fugitive’s subsequent release from custody, the court having jurisdiction over the bail shall, upon petition, set aside the forfeiture of the bond and declare all liability on the bail bond to be exonerated.
Execute warrant; magistrate
Penal 828
828. The officer who executes the warrant must take the defendant before the nearest or most accessible magistrate of the county in which the offense is triable, and must deliver to him the complaint and the warrant, with his return endorsed thereon, and the magistrate must then proceed in the same manner as upon a warrant issued by himself.
Fugitive Recovery Persons Act
Penal 1299
1299. This article shall be known as the Bail Fugitive Recovery Persons Act.
Fugitive Recovery Persons; defined
Penal 1299.01d
1299.01. For purposes of this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (a) “Bail fugitive” means a defendant in a pending criminal case who has been released from custody under a financially secured appearance, cash, or other bond and has had that bond declared forfeited, or a defendant in a pending criminal case who has violated a bond condition whereby apprehension and reincarceration are permitted. (b) “Bail” means a person licensed by the Department of Insurance pursuant to Section 1800 of the Insurance Code. (c) “Depositor of bail” means a person or entity who has deposited money or bonds to secure the release of a person charged with a crime or offense. (d) “Bail fugitive recovery person” means a person who is provided written authorization pursuant to Sections 1300 and 1301 by the bail or depositor of bail, and is contracted to investigate, survey, locate, and arrest a bail fugitive for surrender to the appropriate court, jail, or police department, and any person who is employed to assist a bail or depositor of bail to investigate, survey, locate, and arrest a bail fugitive for surrender to the appropriate court, jail, or police department.
Fugitive Recovery Persons; documentation; authority
Penal 1299.06
1299.06. Before apprehending a bail fugitive, an individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive shall have in his or her possession proper documentation of authority to apprehend issued by the bail or depositor of bail as prescribed in Sections 1300 and 1301. The authority to apprehend document shall include all of the following information: the name of the individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive and any fictitious name, if applicable; the address of the principal office of the individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive; and the name and principal business address of the bail agency, surety company, or other party contracting with the individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive.
Fugitive Recovery Persons; misleading representation
Penal 1299.07
1299.07. (a) An individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive shall not represent himself or herself in any manner as being a sworn law enforcement officer. (b) An individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive shall not wear any uniform that represents himself or herself as belonging to any part or department of a federal, state, or local government. Any uniform shall not display the words United States, Bureau, Task Force, Federal, or other substantially similar words that a reasonable person may mistake for a government agency. (c) An individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive shall not wear or otherwise use a badge that represents himself or herself as belonging to any part or department of the federal, state, or local government. (d) An individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive shall not use a fictitious name that represents himself or herself as belonging to any federal, state, or local government.
Fugitive Recovery Persons; qualifications; training; requirement
Penal 1299.04
1299.04. (a) A bail fugitive recovery person, a bail agent, bail permittee, or bail solicitor who contracts his or her services to another bail agent or surety as a bail fugitive recovery person for the purposes specified in subdivision (d) of Section 1299.01, and any bail agent, bail permittee, or bail solicitor who obtains licensing after January 1, 2000, and who engages in the arrest of a defendant pursuant to Section 1301 shall comply with the following requirements: (1) The person shall be at least 18 years of age. (2) The person shall have completed a 40-hour power of arrest course certified by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training pursuant to Section 832. Completion of the course shall be for educational purposes only and not intended to confer the power of arrest of a peace officer or public officer, or agent of any federal, state, or local government, unless the person is so employed by a governmental agency. (3) The person shall have completed a minimum of 12 hours of classroom education certified pursuant to Section 1810.7 of the Insurance Code. (4) The person shall have completed a course of training in the exercise of the power to arrest offered pursuant to Section 7583.7 of the Business and Professions Code. (5) The person shall not have been convicted of a felony. (b) Upon completion of any course or training program required by this section, an individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive shall carry certificates of completion with him or her at all times in the course of performing his or her duties under this article.
Fugitive recovery; arrest; notification; law enforcement; time
Penal 1299.08
1299.08. (a) Except under exigent circumstances, an individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive shall, prior to and no more than six hours before attempting to apprehend the bail fugitive, notify the local police department or sheriff’s department of the intent to apprehend a bail fugitive in that jurisdiction by: (1) Indicating the name of an individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive entering the jurisdiction. (2) Stating the approximate time an individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive will be entering the jurisdiction and the approximate length of the stay. (3) Stating the name and approximate location of the bail fugitive. (b) If an exigent circumstance does arise and prior notification is not given as provided in subdivision (a), an individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive shall notify the local police department or sheriff’s department immediately after the apprehension, and upon request of the local jurisdiction, shall submit a detailed explanation of those exigent circumstances within three working days after the apprehension is made. (c) This section shall not preclude an individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive from making or attempting to make a lawful arrest of a bail fugitive on bond pursuant to Section 1300 or 1301. The fact that a bench warrant is not located or entered into a warrant depository or system shall not affect a lawful arrest of the bail fugitive. (d) For the purposes of this section, notice may be provided to a local law enforcement agency by telephone prior to the arrest or, after the arrest has taken place, if exigent circumstances exist. In that case the name or operator number of the employee receiving the notice information shall be obtained and retained by the bail, depositor of bail, or bail fugitive recovery person.
Fugitive recovery; firearms
Penal 1299.10
1299.10. An individual authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive shall not carry a firearm or other weapon unless in compliance with the laws of the state.
Fugitive recovery; private investigators
Penal 1299.13
1299.13. Nothing in this article is intended to exempt from licensure persons otherwise required to be licensed as private investigators pursuant to Chapter 11.3 (commencing with Section 7512) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code.
Fugitive recovery; private investigators; exempt
Penal 1299.02(4)
1299.02. (a) No person, other than a certified law enforcement officer, shall be authorized to apprehend, detain, or arrest a bail fugitive unless that person meets one of the following conditions: (1) Is a bail as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1299.01 or a depositor of bail as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 1299.01. (2) Is a bail fugitive recovery person as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 1299.01. (3) Holds a bail license issued by a state other than California or is authorized by another state to transact and post bail and is in compliance with the provisions of Section 847.5 with respect to the arrest of a bail fugitive. (4) Is licensed as a private investigator as provided in Chapter 11.3 (commencing with Section 7512) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code. (5) Holds a private investigator license issued by another state, is authorized by the bail or depositor of bail to apprehend a bail fugitive, and is in compliance with the provisions of Section 847.5 with respect to the arrest of a bail fugitive. (b) This article shall not prohibit an arrest pursuant to Sections 837, 838, and 839.
Fugitive recovery; statute term
Penal 1299.12
1299.12. This article shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2010, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2010, deletes or extends that date.
Fugitive recovery; violations
Penal 1299.11
1299.11. Any person who violates this act, or who conspires with another person to violate this act, or who hires an individual to apprehend a bail fugitive, knowing that the individual is not authorized by Section 1299.02 to apprehend a bail fugitive, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed one year, or by both that imprisonment and fine.
Recommitment of defendant; what cases
Penal 1310
1310. The court to which the committing magistrate returns the depositions, or in which an indictment, information, or appeal is pending, or to which a judgment on appeal is remitted to be carried into effect, may, by an order entered upon its minutes, direct the arrest of the defendant and his or her commitment to the officer to whose custody he or she was committed at the time of giving bail, and his or her detention until legally discharged, in the following cases: (a) When, by reason of his or her failure to appear, he or she has incurred a forfeiture of his or her bail, or of money deposited instead thereof. (b) When it satisfactorily appears to the court that his or her bail, or either of them, are dead or insufficient, or have removed from the state. (c) Upon an indictment being found or information filed in the cases provided in Section 985.
Recommitment; order for; bail on
Penal 1314
1314. If the order be made for any other cause, and the offense is bailable, the Court may fix the amount of bail, and may cause a direction to be inserted in the order that the defendant be admitted to bail in the sum fixed, which must be specified in the order.
Recovery of costs; motion to vacate forfeiture
Penal 1305.3
1305.3. The district attorney, county counsel, or applicable prosecuting agency, as the case may be, shall recover, out of the forfeited bail money, the costs incurred in successfully opposing a motion to vacate the forfeiture and in collecting on the summary judgment prior to the division of the forfeited bail money between the cities and counties in accordance with Section 1463.
Surrender; who may make; method
Penal 1300
1300. (a) At any time before the forfeiture of their undertaking, or deposit by a third person, the bail or the depositor may surrender the defendant in their exoneration, or he may surrender himself, to the officer to whose custody he was committed at the time of giving bail, in the following manner: (1) A certified copy of the undertaking of the bail, a certified copy of the certificate of deposit where a deposit is made, or an affidavit given by the bail licensee or surety company listing all that specific information that would be included on a certified copy of an undertaking of bail, must be delivered to the officer who must detain the defendant in his custody thereon as upon a commitment, and by a certificate in writing acknowledge the surrender. (2) The bail or depositor, upon surrendering the defendant, shall make reasonable effort to give notice to the defendant’s last attorney of record, if any, of such surrender. (3) The officer to whom the defendant is surrendered shall, within 48 hours of the surrender, bring the defendant before the court in which the defendant is next to appear on the case for which he has been surrendered. The court shall advise the defendant of his right to move the court for an order permitting the withdrawal of any previous waiver of time and shall advise him of the authority of the court, as provided in subdivision (b), to order return of the premium paid by the defendant or other person, or any part of it. (4) Upon the undertaking, or certificate of deposit, and the certificate of the officer, the court in which the action or appeal is pending may, upon notice of five days to the district attorney of the county, with a copy of the undertaking, or certificate of deposit, and the certificate of the officer, order that the bail or deposit be exonerated. However, if the defendant is released on his own recognizance or on another bond before the issuance of such an order, the court shall order that the bail or deposit be exonerated without prejudice to the court’s authority under subdivision (b). On filing the order and papers used on the application, they are exonerated accordingly. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), if the court determines that good cause does not exist for the surrender of a defendant who has not failed to appear or has not violated any order of the court, it may, in its discretion, order the bail or the depositor to return to the defendant or other person who has paid the premium or any part of it, all of the money so paid or any part of it.
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Updated: 03/03/2010