Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-3146930-20140405195216/@comment-82.12.156.248-20140405210719

They're probably freelance, being paid either contractually by the government (or whatever power leads the nation), or in much the same way but by whomever happens to have hired them (Glynda getting paid by Beacon for example).

I imagine Glynda had nothing to do with Ruby's placement in the police station. It's more likely that, following Roman's robbery, the police took her in for a statement and Glynda managed to somehow (possibly through "privileges of being a huntress") talk to Ruby in the police station.

I don't imagine there is a set declaration over whether a hunter or the police visit a crime scene. It would make far more sense for the two to work together than apart. In the event of Episode 1 and 16, it seems like Glynda was just in the area at the time and heard the fighting, she got there before the police did. In the event of Episode 16, nobody arrived until long after the conflict was resolved and Roman escaped. I don't think the hunters would have much to gain from standing around so it's unlikely they would remain, meanwhile the police still have a job to do. Even if what happened in the cargo dock was worthless to the investigation of Roman (and possibly Cinder), the police still need to investigate it, the hunters do not.

Not everything is so black and white. Just because the Grimm are a threat doesn't mean that they should, or even could wipe them all out in one mass extinction event. The Grimm seem to be a whole nother sub-organism, it would be akin to us killing off every known animal in the world, or at least that's the impression we're left with after only ever seeing the creatures of Grimm and no actual animals. And even if they could it would be impossible to be sure, the Deathstalker in Episode 8 was seemingly in a state of hibernation, I doubt anyone knew of it's existence until it was disturbed by Jaune and Pyrrha.

A hunter's rank is an... interesting concept. I don't think it's a rank as much as a position of authority. Much like how the ranks of police and military do not interact neither do the ranks of hunters (if such a thing exists) and other, governmentally operated forms of law enforcement.

I have a feeling hunters get liabilities with the law akin to that of the military but, being separate from the government are in no way tied liably to them. This means that they would basically be able to commandeer vehicles, causing destruction within reason or even kill provided collateral damage was minimised and they had reason to believe the target was a danger to their own life. Being an entity of their own however would sever ties with the government (though if they were hired by the government at any point the contract may ask for military discipline) meaning they would not need permission to use lethal force or to cause any kind of damage.

On the other edge of that sword however is the simple fact, being separate from the government also makes the government not liable. Any damages would likely need to be paid for by the hunters themselves, or (in RWBY and JNPR's case) by their academic body. The salvage of the Bullheads from the attack on the harbour was likely paid for by Beacon Academy, any damage Glynda caused during Episode 1 was likely paid for by Glynda.

In terms of where they stand from a point of view of war, I imagine that they would face an immediate and constant threat of conscription. The government won't force them to fight alongside them, they'd expect them to, but they wouldn't force them to; but at the same time, if the government DID want hunter help then force could be used to ensure their nations hunters fight. Unless conscription occurs I imagine a hunter's loyalties are often in the air.

If they are freelance then that means their living comes from whomever pays them, so someone born in Vale may not be loyal to Vale if Mistral's government offers them more. They'd be expected to fight, and probably would fight, but they wouldn't be relied upon unless they swore loyalty to their kingdom. That being said, I doubt betrayal would be common during war; after all what reason would Atlas have to trust four or five of the best damn warriors born in Vale?