Bounty Hunter Regulations Proposed

Bounty hunters in Pennsylvnia need greater oversight. That's the gist of a new bill being proposed by state representative Don Walko of Allegheny County. He says the industry is unregulated even though bounty hunters have the power to arrest and maintain custody of fugitives. Walko introduced similar legislation after a bounty hunter killed an unarmed fugitive on Pittsburgh's North Side in 2004.

The new legislation, House Bill 65, would require bounty hunters to meet the same lethal weapons training requirements that already apply to security professionals and private investigators in Pennsylvania. The bill would also move licensing for security professionals and private investigators from the county level to the state level, which Walko says would keep problem licensees from slipping through the cracks. He says the bill enjoys bipartisan support and even has the backing of many bounty hunters, security workers and private investigators, who believe regulation would help legitimize their line of work.