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It was June 2011 when bail agents from around the State of Indiana answered the call to have a "Qualification Day" (watch video) in South Bend to register with the St. Joseph County clerk to write bail in that county. While this event was well attended it was largely symbolic.  St. Joseph County has not accepted a bail bond in more than 40 years. This northern Indiana county is notorious in our state for monopolizing the bail system with their 90% discount bonds. This cash bonds are purely intended to secure a defendant's payment of fines and costs and not to secure their appearance in court.  ABC57 News South Bend has picked up this story and earlier this week reporter Meghan Schiller filed her first of what is to be many reports…

An Arkansas county makes it easier for criminals to post cash, county to profit Why does a county of 98,000 citizens with outstanding warrants equal to ten percent of the population take steps to make it easier for criminal offenders to be released from jail unsupervised pending trial by posting a cash bond?  Could free money be the motivator? The reason is made clear in an article posted to Kait8.com by Jessi Turnure entitled Craighead County bail bond payment system goes digital.  This article posted August 23, 2013, puts a positive spin on how Craighead County District Court Clerk Joe Monroe has made it easier for those charged with criminal offenses to post cash bail using a credit card.  The Craighead County Sheriff’s Office is set to begin using the…

August 21, 2013 It’s Wednesday morning in Indianapolis.  I’m scheduled to teach an hour of continuing education today to a group of property and casualty agents on the issue of bail bonds.  In preparation, I got up early, showered and dressed in a pair of dark gray slacks, light pink shirt, dark pink tie with a light gray sport coat with light pink strips.   What can I say; I’m not afraid of pink. At every bail association meeting I’ve attended through the years, the issue of professional dress is almost always mentioned.  When it comes to professional attire, the bail industry gets very low marks and it most likely has to do with the hours a bail agent keeps, all 24 of them. One never knows when the bail line…

 The 24th Annual Steven G. Whitlock Memorial Golf Tournament was held at Iron Horse Golf Course in North Richland Hills, Texas, this past Wednesday, August 14.  American Surety Company is the title sponsor of this annual event produced by The Professional Bondsmen of Texas and The Whitlock Family. Tremendous financial support was received from the Texas bail bond community and bail agents and surety companies from around the country.  The bail bond profession is notoriously competitive though all this was set aside to raise money to assist 140 kids battling cancer to attend summer camp at Camp Esperanza. Doreen Bruner is the Executive Director for The Bridewell Foundation and Camp Esperanza.  During the awards ceremony Doreen told attendees the Steven G. Whitlock Memorial Golf Tournament has become the primary fundraiser…

Thursday, August 1, 2013   By Michael J. Whitlock   New Orleans, LA – It was Tuesday, the third day of the PBUS conference.  As a PBUS instructor, I was assigned to teach the course on Legislation.  Gene Newman is the Education Chair and usually comes to each class to thank everyone for attending and remind them of the importance of education.   It is also Gene’s routine to tell my students I know everything there is to know about the legislation process, as if I invented it.  The real truth is, I’m constantly learning new elements and facets of the politics, procedures and maneuvers of state house politics.   In the afternoon of that third day of the conference, I attended the meeting of the Council of Presidents.  This…

Indianapolis, IN – Lee Sexton, a general agent out of Ft. Wayne, had just completed his testimony before the Commission on Courts, chaired by Senator Brent Steele, R-Bedford.  It was the afternoon of Thursday, July 18, and we were in room 421 of the Indiana State House.  Lee nodded at me, as if to say, “You’re next.”  I took a seat at the table and introduced myself. I must preface, I have no fear of testifying before a group; speaking about my chosen profession provides only exhilaration.  I may even have been too eager to testify.  Those waiting to speak were seated in the front row of the hearing room. Early on in the hearing, I leaned towards Bob Dawson, a fellow surety representative, and whispered, “Is it arrogant of…

Indianapolis, IN - It's a rare opportunity for any industry, much less the bail industry, to come before a legislative body to speak at length about their profession and its impact on society and, in our case, the criminal justice system. The location was Room 431 of the Indiana State House. The legislative body was the Commission on Courts, chaired by Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford. The issue was the bail system in Indiana. While bail was selected to be included in the summer study committee it only came to fruition as a result of Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, efforts to have her bill, SB 425, discussed in the summer study committee. Sen. Rogers authored legislation that, as written, would have established a County Electronic Monitoring fund to help defray costs…

Indianapolis, IN - It was meant to be a quick trip.  Overnight in Philadelphia on Monday, attend a two hour meeting in Trenton, New Jersey on Tuesday and fly home that afternoon. It started out fine.  With my TSA Pre-check “keep your shoes on” security status, I breezed through airport security and caught my on-time flight from Indy to Detroit, no problems. My connecting flight to Philadelphia was running a little late.  Once on board, I took my seat in first class, I received a complimentary upgrade and immediately heard two passengers talking about the recent plane crash in San Francisco.  Like yelling fire in a crowded theater, it’s bad form to talk about plane crashes on an airplane.  Oh well. I was on board a Canadair Regional Jet C700…

Oklahoma City, OK – I attended the Oklahoma Bondsman Association annual meeting of the Board of Directors June 3.  The meeting was held at OBA headquarters in Oklahoma City, just down the street from the State’s Capitol building.   The meeting had respectable attendance. Most Oklahoma bondsmen obtain their association updates at continuing education classes held several times a year. The OBA is sound financially, generating revenue from membership dues.  Oklahoma’s only statewide bonding association is also very effective on the legislative front.  They supported the passing of SB 9 which would have removed the ten bond limit on counties outside a bondsman’s home county.  This bill was ultimately vetoed by the governor who cited litigation pending on this issue.  The ten bond limit is an ongoing point of contention between…

Michigan City, Indiana – Hoosier bail agents gathered in northern Indiana this past Saturday for the ISBAA’s annual spring meeting.  The meeting was held at the Blue Chip Casino and included six hours of continuing education.  All bail and recovery agents will need to obtain the required continuing education credits prior to license renewal this fall.                             This meeting was anticipated with a particular buzz of excitement, resulting in one of the larger turnouts in recent memory.  Bail agents in Indiana are genuinely concerned about their future.   The amount of bail written in Indiana has been reduced by more than 70% in just eight years.  This sizable reduction can be attributed not to a reduction in crime, but…