Should you carry a repossession agent badge on the job? Well, if you are a legitimate property recovery agent, then a badge might help to keep you out of trouble with people who may think you are just stealing their stuff. It is no wonder that many property repo agents choose to carry a badge and ID card issued by their employer in order to prevent inevitable violent confrontations during the course of their work days.
Can you legally carry a badge as a repo man? If so, are their limitations about how the badge can be used and stipulations about how it must appear? These are crucial questions to answer if you also want to stay out of trouble with the law…
This post provides some helpful guidance on repossession and recovery agent badges.
Repossession Agent Badge Suppliers
There are many commercial sources for badges in most countries. Badges can have generic designs or be custom designed and inscribed. Most repo man badges will state the job title Recovery and Repossession Agent in bold text and then provide the specific name of the agent, company and ID number in smaller text.
Badges can be ordered individually or in quality, with discounts often available with identical designs for a whole company. Badges can also be ordered alone or with various carrying and display options, such as a case to hold the badge and ID card or a chain to wear the badge around the neck with a card holder on the back.
A good quality badge should last a lifetime, while a poor quality, cheap badge might break, corrode or discolor.
Property Repossession Specialist Badges
Carrying a badge for any job description may be legally regulated in certain areas. In some regions, only very specific people are allowed to carry badges, usually limited to law enforcement, first responders and military personnel. In other areas, badge use may be extended to private citizens in select professions, such as bounty hunters, bail enforcement agents, repossession specialists, professional investigators and private security contractors, among others.
It is important to know the laws governing badge use in any area where you intend to work as a property repossession agent. If you must travel for work, this might mean being familiar with the laws of several states, cities or regional areas. Failure to abide by badge-governing laws might get the repo agent or their company into big trouble with the law, so always take the time and effort to be fully informed of the regulations now and into the future.
Repossession Agent Badge Guidance
As long as you are in full compliance with the law, it is advisable to invest in a badge as a repo agent. So many incidents occur in this industry due to misunderstandings between defaulters and repo agents, especially when the agent takes the property without informing the defaulter in advance. Each year, repo agents are hurt and even killed in the line of duty and some of these events could be avoided by proper display of badges and uniforms identifying the agent as a member of the protected and legally-entitled profession.
We suggest that all repo companies provide their employees with a full set of equipment, including badges and identifying shirts or full uniforms. Furthermore, we recommend providing employees with the training that will help them to not only do their job better, but may also save their lives, including self defense, threat assessment and knowledge of the law.