Keep Bailing

The downturn in our economy  has impacted so many industries, it’s almost impossible to identify how the ‘trickle down’ has effected one in relation to another. The Victor Valley Daily Press reported yesterday on one Hisperia bail bondsman forced to close the doors last week.

In the world of bail bonds, unemployment as well as lost credit and housing devaluation has made it increasingly difficult for people to bail out their family members Read more »

Everything you always wanted to know about Orange County’s Police

Television’s “The O.C.” and “Real Housewives” may have put Orange County California on the media map, but Orange County Police Departments have an interesting history that dates back to the Wild West.  The county can trace its beginnings back to 1887, when silver was discovered in the Santa Ana Mountains, attracting settlers. As people came to California in droves, seeking their fortunes or just to settle and build a new life, the California Legislator was overwhelmed by the influx of these new arrivals. 

And so, they decided to divide Los Angeles County into two back in 1899, creating Orange County as a separate political entity. The county is supposedly named after –what else — oranges, but since they already had a town named Orange here, the county may have been named for this city.  Like many other places in the west, law enforcement was conducted by sheriffs and marshals until the needs of these settlements grew too big for just a few good men to handle.  And so, OC law enforcement also expanded and grew into more sophisticated, full fledged Police Departments.

Orange County also happens to be the smallest county in Southern California. But despite its size, it has many police departments and they Read more »

Wonder what happens when a defendant is late for court?

When you bail someone out of jail, you take responsibility to make sure they show up for their court appearance. We tell people all the time, courts understand small mistakes like traffic, illness or trouble finding the courtroom. However, that doesn’t mean judges like it.

Such may have been the case in San Bernardino Superior Court this week where the judge issued arrest warrants and set bail at $200,000 for two defendants who weren’t present in his court when he call their case at 8:36 am. They were due in court at 8:30. The defendants Read more »

Ah, vacations! You plan, you look forward to it, but you know something is apt to not go as planned…

Let me back up: When people hear that I’m a bail bondsman, they always seem to think, “you must have a lot of good stories.” Truth be told, we don’t. Mostly, we bail out regular people. Day in and day out, bail is like most other jobs – except, of course, that you do it 24 x 7 x 365.

Days like yesterday, where we get an interesting case, are pretty rare. Got a call this for a bail bond out of Los Colinas Jail, San Diego’s womens jail on an out of state warrant on a woman – pretty regular so far.

Now, for the rest of the story… Husband put together a birthday cruise Read more »

“Will the bail be decreased at court?” That’s a question we get quite often. Usually, it’s asked when someone is comptemplating should I bail out my friend? Well, the judge has all the lattitude. No, the judge will not automatically lower bail when the defendant goes to court. The judge may increase bail, decrease bail, leave it the same, or change to “no bail.”

Such may have been the question of Allegra Fromby a former elementary school vice president was out on bail in San Bernardino County for $75K. She had been charged with two counts of felony drug possession. At her court appearance on 9/14, her bail was Read more »

Most every county jail has a website, including the Orange County Jail. The websites provide all kinds of information, including inmate information and can be used by anyone who has access to a computer. For Lake County, Sheriff’s are now delaying the posted information by 2 days. Their reasons for delaying the information is that they feel that bail bondsmen are obtaining information about recently booked inmates and heading to the jail to illegally solicit bail business, which is a misdemeanor offense.

Bail bondsmen are believed to be lying to the jailers, indicating Read more »

Labor Day Weekend DUI Crackdown

Earlier this week, Robin told us about the upcoming Labor Day Weekend DUI crackdowns. She painted a likely scenario of having martini’s and partying like a rock star, then foolishly driving home. But what does it really take to get a DUI?

You probably how you think most people get a DUI after a night of partying hard, but think again. Let’s just say you go to dinner have two glasses of wine. Pay the valet and head home. What’s with the traffic up ahead? DUI Checkpoint, but you’re fine, you just had a couple of glasses of wine… you unroll the window, the officer quickly shines a flashlight near you, your eyes give you away because they dilate involuntarily – especially if you’ve had a couple of drinks. “Step out of the vehicle,” says the officer. You’re still thinking no problem here… Think again, DUI is about being under the influence and you are! Sorry, but this is going to cost you.

You will be arrested and jailed if you’ve been drinking, you’re stopped and your blood alcohol level is found to be .08% or even under! 

According to Read more »

Labor Day DUI Crack Down In Full Effect – Now!

It’s Labor Day weekend. Your  best friend’s hosting the swankiest end-of-summer party and all your  beautiful friends are there.  You hit the martini bar a couple of times,  maybe have a beer or two toward the end of the night because you know you need to drive in a couple of hours… It’s  now after midnight. You have an early work meeting in the morning so you bid your good nights. You go to grab your keys  in your pocket but hey, they’re not there. Oh, that’s right -other pocket. Hmm, maybe you left them on the kitchen table…  Hello? Wake up!  If you do end up finding them, don’t even think about using those keys to drive a car. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), GHSA and local law enforcement are joining forces across the nation this year to take part in the campaign called Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. 

But they aren’t waiting for Labor Day. There are currently Read more »

Yesterday I wrote about what to expect if you become a California bail bondsman. If you got through that and you’re back for more, you’re ready for the steps in obtaining your bail license. Now that I completed my pre-licensing class, I’m the expert here (ha ha)!

So, without further fan fare, here are the necessary steps to becoming a licenced bail bondsman in California:

1. You must have lived in California for least 2 years and be prepared to provide proof.
2. You must be 18 years old or older.
3. You need a clean record. Kind of an obvious one since you are working within the legal system, but many people don’t realize that to be a bail bondsman, you must have no felony convictions on your record. (Unlike the NFL which employs many people without clean records.) Read more »

I am not a Dog the Bounty Hunter fan, per se. However, when people first find out that I’m a bail bondsman the question of “Dog” inevitably comes up. So, I follow Duane Chapman, aka “The Dog”, to some limited extent.

I recently ran across an article where I learned something new about Chapman - a Tony Robbins influence:

Chapman also said that, besides religion, “my changing point was Anthony Robbins.”

When they first met, he says, Robbins said to him: “You’re the greatest challenge of my life.” They embarked on a partnership Read more »