24Apr 2023 by Michael Whitlock No Comments

A Trip to the U.S. Capital

By Michael Whitlock I spent a few days at our nation’s capital this week in my capacity as a member of the American Bail Coalition Legislative Committee. The bail industry is largely regulated by the states though some bail is still written at the federal level and federal regulation can indirectly impact bail policies at the state level. We met with both congressmen and senators to discuss these important issues. The Bureau of Justice Statistics released a study in 2007, providing data gathered from the 75 largest counties in the country for the purpose of determining the effectiveness of various forms of pretrial release. The BJS study concluded secured bail be it full cash or surety were most effective. It was also a useful tool to drive home the point bail bonds play a…

23Mar 2023 by Michael Whitlock No Comments

In Case of Emergency – Break Glass

By Michael J. Whitlock We’ve all seen fire hose and axe stations as we walk through office buildings only to be used in case of an emergency. Expansion of preventive detention, requiring constitutional amendments is the order of the day in Connecticut, Indiana, and Texas. Some members of these state legislatures have deemed the increase in crime an emergency and preventative detention, holding an offender in jail without bail, until trial, the answer. After years of overreaching criminal justice reforms these legislative bodies, out of desperation, are looking to break the glass to create the necessary tools to aid in putting out a fire they themselves help start. They want to change constitutional language that has been in place for at least two centuries. Why now? Bail agents across the country know,…

22Dec 2022 by Michael Whitlock 1 Comment

Happy Holidays from American Surety Company

By Michael J. Whitlock There is a winter storm coming down from the north that will sweep across the Midwest over the Northeast guaranteeing snow for Christmas. Snow just adds a little something to the occasion and the season. I probably don’t embrace the season as much as I should for reasons unknown. I do enjoy looking out my window to see the cars of my adult kids parked in the driveway. No matter how old they get, I never stop worrying for their well-being and having them all at the house certainly adds to the holiday spirit. Given the state of our country and the increase in crime in our communities it’s always a relief to have family around. My son and daughters know the first question I’m going…

15Dec 2022 by Michael Whitlock 2 Comments

My Life in Bail – Part Six – Jack of All Trades – Master of None

By Michael J. Whitlock This past October, I was a guest speaker at the California Bail Agents Association annual conference in Las Vegas. My topic was the recent legislation passed in Indiana regulating charitable bail organizations. My preferred speaking style is from the heart, not power point presentations. Albert Ramirez, a veteran bail agent and attorney came up to me afterwards, gave me some positive feedback and ask where I went to college. I told him, no college for me. He said I came across as having advance educated in my presentation. That was the greatest compliment I could receive. A lack of a college degree, or any college at all, has been the driving force in my work life, if I am being honest. Everyone around me had a…

17Nov 2022 by Michael Whitlock 1 Comment

ABC Rocks Las Vegas

Michael J. Whitlock If you were unable to attend the 7th Annual ABC Agent Conference in Las Vegas last week, that sucks for you, because it was the best one yet. A primary characteristic of an ABC conference is, no fuss no muss. A cocktail party on the eve of the conference followed by one day of all business. Information comes at you like a fire hose and then you go on with your life much more informed. This year's event was especially enlightening because it was by all accounts a good year for the bail industry. Another effort [caption id="attachment_14006" align="alignright" width="208"] American Surety Company President & CEO Bill Carmichael opens the conference[/caption] to put the bail industry out of business in California failed by a wide margin. Ohio…

26Oct 2022 by Michael Whitlock No Comments

PBT – Built Texas Tough

Michael J. Whitlock, Executive Vice President I attended my first meeting of the Professional Bondsmen of Texas in 1989. The meeting was as I recall a well organized and well attended. PBT, like any association has faced its share of challenges. The trade group however demonstrated its toughness and resilience and has remained strong at its core. It is currently one of the strongest and most effective bail agent associations in the country. PBT's strength can be found in three specific areas: leadership, membership, and relationships. Their leadership starts at the top with President Mike Byrd and then funnels down through the standing committees. All the committees are strong, Legislative, Education and PR are the standouts. The Legislative Committee currently chaired by Scott Walstad was instrumental in getting SB6 passed into law in…

27Sep 2022 by Michael Whitlock No Comments

Dropping the Truth Bomb

By Michael J. Whitlock Every now and again amid the fog of war there is a direct hit on the opposition so profound it can shake the very foundation of their mission. In the case of pretrial justice, the side on the receiving end of the truth bomb must have been thunder-struck after coming face to face with the most incredible weapon, the facts. Unbeknownst to many of us working in the pretrial release space, there were a small group of people working on something in Texas akin to the Manhattan Project. They pooled their knowledge and resources, gathering and synthesizing information available to the public that would disarm their adversaries. The group unveiled their results last week on their website HarrisCountyCourtWatch.com. Harris County, Texas, with a population of 4.8…

15Sep 2022 by Michael Whitlock 1 Comment

My Life in Bail – Part Five: Contentment is the Enemy of Success

By Michael J. Whitlock It was the early 1990s and Underwriters Surety, Inc. now had a big sister, American Surety Company, an all-lines Property & Casualty carrier. ASC had begun its career licensed in one state, California, but was adding new states every year. Production during this period was split between direct business written through ASC and business written through USI’s bail program contracts with other surety companies. Colloquially, we referred to the company as ASC-USI. Contentment is the enemy of success, and I was anything but content in 1994. During this time, I was managing the Claims and Underwriting Departments and continuing my travels around the country conducting routine audits and troubleshooting. I still was not satisfied, I wanted to increase my value to the company. I was ambitious.…

17Aug 2022 by Michael Whitlock No Comments

My Life in Bail – Part Four: Profit and Loss

By Michael J. Whitlock, Executive Vice President The late eighties and early nineties would serve up good and bad, profit and loss. During that time I was on the ground floor of a new startup, and I would get married, lose a brother and a father-in-law, see our first child born, and start a charity. It was a time of great change, both for better and for worse. One of the great things that happened is meeting and marrying the love of my life. My wife Marcia and I first met while working at Allied Fidelity. We married in 1988, and our first child came in 1992. Marcia and I celebrated our thirty-fourth wedding anniversary earlier this year. Anyone working in the bail profession can tell you, it can be…

09Aug 2022 by Michael Whitlock 4 Comments

My Life in Bail – Part Three: Year of the Rooster

By Michael J. Whitlock I am not sure if a white hearse with a giant rooster’s head bolted to the roof is a good omen or bad but it pulled up in front of Allied Fidelity’s office at lunch time in late January 1986. It was my dad’s 50th birthday and someone thought this would be a fun idea. As it turns out the rooster’s head would prove to be both a good and bad omen in 1986. Two years earlier in 1984, I had arrived in Indianapolis and started my job at Allied Fidelity’s Home Office on north Meridian Street. I was one of three underwriters working in the Underwriting Department. My manager was Terry Waltrip, and the head of the bail division was my dad, Jack Whitlock. In…