By FugitiveForce Staff

It is a question I find myself asking more and more often.

I began my law enforcement career in 2001. Like many young recruits, I was excited, motivated, and hungry to make a difference. I wanted to work. I wanted to catch criminals. I wanted to find drugs, locate warrants, and put dangerous people in jail.

In those early years, supervisors sometimes had to practically force me to go home after a shift. I would stay out looking for one more stop, one more lead, one more opportunity to make an impact. The officers I worked alongside were much the same way. They studied the law. They knew case law. They understood the Constitution. They took pride in being proactive and effective.

Law enforcement wasn't perfect, but there was a culture of service, initiative, and accountability that seemed deeply rooted throughout the profession.

In 2008, I left law enforcement to work overseas as a government contractor. When I returned to the profession in 2010, something felt different.

The environment had changed.

Politics appeared to be playing a larger role in policing than I had ever experienced before. Officers and supervisors seemed increasingly concerned about navigating political pressures, administrative concerns, public perception, and social policy considerations. Decisions that once appeared straightforward, what is right vs. what is wrong, often became exercises in risk management and liability avoidance.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the political changes occurring in America during that period, many veteran officers will acknowledge that policing underwent a significant cultural transformation that has damaged communities.

The profession I returned to was not the profession I had left.

Even more concerning was the apparent shift in motivation among some newer officers entering the field.

The young recruits I remembered from my early years were eager to work. They wanted to hunt down fugitives, conduct investigations, and make arrests. Many of today's recruits, at least from my observations, seem more interested in avoiding mistakes than making a difference. Proactive policing has become increasingly rare. Calls are handled, reports are written, and shifts are completed—but the drive to aggressively pursue criminals and solve problems often appears diminished.

And from where I sit today, it seems to have only gotten worse.

A Bail Investigator's Perspective

Today, I work in the bail bond investigations industry.

Our teams locate and apprehend fugitives who have failed to appear in court. These are individuals who have already been charged with crimes, released on bond, and then violated their obligations to the court.

Because of this work, we interact with law enforcement agencies across Texas on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, many of those interactions leave me disappointed; and in Texas of all places you would think it would still have a sense of justice... No.. 

The first issue is quality.

Twenty years ago, the officers I worked with generally had a solid understanding of criminal law, constitutional law, case law, and investigative techniques. Today, I routinely encounter officers who appear unfamiliar with basic legal principles that were once considered fundamental knowledge and they seemingly have no motivation to do more than the minimum to learn.

The second issue is motivation.

Far too often, I encounter officers who seem disengaged from the mission of policing. It is not uncommon to find patrol units parked in lots scrolling through phones while serious criminal activity continues elsewhere in the community.

That may sound harsh, but it reflects what many citizens, investigators, and even active law enforcement officers privately discuss.

Recently, I had an interaction with a local officer in a Texas college town. He was professional, motivated, and genuinely interested in helping us return fugitives to jail .

To be honest, it stood out because such encounters have become increasingly rare.

During our conversation, he made a statement that stuck with me:

"Most cops don't want to fight crime anymore."

Whether that statement is entirely accurate is open to debate. But the fact that it came from a police officer himself speaks volumes about the frustration many within the profession appear to feel.

Leadership Without Leadership

Perhaps the biggest disappointment is not with patrol officers.

It is with administrators.

Many law enforcement leaders today seem more focused on protecting careers than protecting communities. Political considerations often appear to outweigh operational realities. Public relations frequently take priority over proactive enforcement.

The result is an environment where officers are discouraged from taking initiative, discouraged from being proactive, and discouraged from accepting the risks that effective policing often requires.

When leadership lacks courage, it becomes difficult to expect courage from those working under them.

When Fugitives Are Turned Away

One of the most frustrating realities we encounter involves the handling of wanted fugitives.

As bail investigators, we regularly attempt to facilitate self-surrenders when appropriate. Yet there have been occasions where individuals wanted on serious charges have been turned away from detention facilities or encouraged not to surrender at that time. We have had many problems with this at the Travis County Jail in Austin, Texas, where on multiple occasions, fugitives wanted for very violent offenses, such as shooting someone, are turned away and convinced to NOT turn themselves in. 

When that happens, everyone loses.

The courts lose.

The victims lose.

The community loses.

And law enforcement loses credibility.

The purpose of the criminal justice system is accountability. Any practice that delays or discourages lawful surrender raises legitimate concerns about whether the system is serving its intended purpose.

The Irony Nobody Wants To Discuss

Perhaps the greatest irony is that many private investigators and fugitive recovery agents appear more motivated than the very agencies tasked with enforcing the law.

Our teams work nights, weekends, holidays, and in dangerous environments.

We track violent offenders.

We conduct surveillance.

We interview witnesses.

We locate fugitives.

We make arrests.

And we do so with significantly fewer assistance resources than most law enforcement agencies possess.

During that same conversation with the college-town officer, he expressed genuine surprise at the number of fugitives our teams apprehend each year (on average 250-300).

His response was simple:

"That is an insane amount of arrests."

The statement wasn't intended as criticism of law enforcement. If anything, it highlighted a troubling question.

Why are private investigators in the bail bond industry often demonstrating a greater sense of duty about locating violent offenders than many public agencies?

Why do bounty hunters frequently appear more proactive than the police?

And why does it seem that the political system often works against bail bondsmen and fugitive investigators who are actively returning wanted individuals to custody?

These are uncomfortable questions.

But they are questions worth asking.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The overwhelming majority of police officers are good people and have good intentions.

Many still serve honorably.

Many still work thanklessly.

Many still risk their lives every day for communities that may never fully appreciate their sacrifices.

But something has undeniably changed.

The profession that inspired so many young men and women to serve appears to be struggling with an identity crisis.

Has policing become too political?

Have administrators become too risk-averse?

Are recruitment standards dropped?

Have we discouraged proactive policing to the point that officers no longer feel empowered to do their jobs?

Or is there something else entirely happening beneath the surface?

I don't claim to have all the answers.

But I know what I see.

And I know that many veteran officers, investigators, bondsmen, and citizens are asking the same question:

What happened to the police?

More importantly, how do we fix it?

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

What changes would you make to improve law enforcement, restore public trust, increase officer motivation, and create a system that better serves our communities? How can we get them to work together with us in the pursuit of violent fugitives? 

Join the conversation and let us know.