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Washington State Required Bail Recovery Training

Investing in Your Training:

Police Tactical vs. Genuine Bail Enforcement Mentorship

   Since January 2006 Washington State has required all Bail Recovery Agents to be licensed. Weapons training requirements for the new Washington State Bail Recovery Agents include OC, baton, Taser, and firearms. All are Tactical Security Guard/ Law Enforcement Weapons Courses taught by Tactical Instructors, often with very impressive and respectable Law Enforcement resumes. We commend and recognize them for their experience, knowledge and expertise at training Security Guards & Police Officers.

  More important than this weapons training is the the requirement for a minimum of 32 hrs of Field Operations Training. Current Washington law makes no requirement of any actual Bail Recovery experience of the instructors providing this required training of Washington States future Bail Recovery Agents. The majority of those on the DOL referral list are Weapons Tactical Instructors, with those affiliated with the Washington  State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) placed at the top of the list, and indeed have zero bail recovery experience. On this same list we have seen unaccomplished "part time" Recovery Agents become "trainers" with less than 2 years part time experience.

In contrast, realizing how critical experience is in training future professionals, the  Bail Enforcement Academy® requires 5 years on the job experience of Instructor Trainee candidates, the highest standard in the industry.

  The DOL website refers to WSCJTC Instructors as being a standard in Bail Recovery training. Although an example of the "inter-departmental camaraderie" of State employees it is difficult to comprehend how these Weapons Tactical Instructors would even begin replace the training and mentoring one would receive taking the Bail Recovery Field Operations from actual experienced and highly capable "veteran" Bail Recovery Agents in a lifetime mentoring environment. Bail Recovery Agents are not governmental law enforcement, using their tactics will only lead to serious trouble in our industry.

We are discreet, doing our job as unnoticed as possible, which is exactly what this industry expects of a professional.

Field Operations Trainers

  Those “No Bail Recovery Experience Instructors" on the DOL Referral list or elsewhere, have no experiences “walking the walk” of an experienced professional Bail Recovery Agent. As “Industry Outsiders” they don’t have any of the knowledge of a talented, experienced, and successful Bail Recovery Agent.  

   Instead you'll see Instructor resumes with everything except bail enforcement experience and lots of  Police Academy skills. One source boasts "designed for services to the military, law enforcement and corporate security communities" like, “Building Searches, “Transport Skills”, and some even include "Hostage Negotiations" and wearing Nomex hoods. Often you will be required to buy lots of Police Equipment as though you were joining a weekends only SWAT Team !

In considering any Bail Recovery Training program: 1) Evaluate the experience as a trainer and a full time Bail Recovery Agent of any Instructor/Program. Are you paying for few years part time experience as a recovery agent? Is this their first class ever? (they are out there) Are their graduates successful and industry accepted? Insist on verifiable experience and GRADUATE REFERENCES ALWAYS. 2) Be sure you will at least receive a certification for Washington Department of Licensing Bail Recovery Agent licensing that it is RCW 18.185.260 Section 1 Compliant, we have seen few that do 2) Check the DOL "referred trainers list" against the "Disciplinary Actions" page ( you can apparently have a denied or revoked license and still be a DOL referred "trainer", seriously) 3) There are NO Requirements to list yourself a "trainer" on the Training Referral List at DOL. Always be aware the DOL regulates your licensing, not your success.

  What about the vocational requirements ? After paying for all this training and equipment, are you now expert at investigating the whereabouts of fugitives the Bond Agency themselves can't find? Lots of Bail Enforcement contacts and ready to compete with the veterans already out in your job market? How will your "High Risk Tactical Team" "spring into action" if you can’t find fugitives? Where will you get real expert advice and assistance throughout your Bail Recovery career ?

How does one compete with the already experienced Agents without learning investigative skills (this is a “no booty no bounty business”)The answer :

Our experience, without training that is based on extensive Bail Enforcement on the street experience (again the Bail Enforcement Academy® requires a minimum of 5 years actual full time experience for Instructors)  They Don’t !

In spite of meeting the minimal DOL requirements, are Bail Bond Agencies looking to hire these "Tactical Gladiators" ? Find us even one......

Are “No Bail Recovery Experience” instructors from outside our Industry in a position to mentor these new Agents anymore than the most experienced of Bail Recovery Instructors are in a position to train and mentor Law Enforcement Officers?

1) Do not attempt to become a Law Enforcement Officer from a Bail Recovery Agent Trainer with “No Law Enforcement Experience”. They will teach you why at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commissions Police Academy.

2) Do not attempt to become a Bail Recovery Agent from a Law Enforcement Tactical Trainer with “No Bail Recovery Experience”, learn your Bail Recovery Field Operations, your job, from someone whom is qualified, someone whom has actually been in the Bail Recovery Field, for thousands of hours preferred. We will teach you why at the most experienced trainer of successful Bail Enforcement Agents in the USA, and Washington States #1 Bail Recovery Trainer..........the Bail Enforcement Academy®.

3) Mentorship is equally important to meeting minimal Washington State requirements, without mentorship you will not likely be qualified to successfully compete with the established "veterans" without ever having learned from them. You want a  both a license and a successful career ! Before signing up anywhere insist on references from actual graduates that were able to obtain work and are successful in the bail recovery industry.

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