Make your actions known?

We all talk about our profession being looked down upon by many because of reality tv (not sure about the reality part) Dog, Beth, Baby Lisa, etc. There really isn't anything we can do about these folks except complain to each other and anyone else that will listen. Or is there?

Scott M. posted a news release about one of his captures but no mention was made of who made that apprehension, except to say the warrant was served at the detention center, which leaves the public with the false impression that le made this apprehension.

I'm sure this has happened to everyone here that has made an arrest. I'll bet it has happened more times than most can recall.

Now Scott may or may not mind his name in the news but I'm sure he and the rest of us would appreciate the press mentioning that a BEA FRA etc. made the apprehension.

A few weeks ago Ken Banks and myself apprehended a man that had several meth labs and was a convicted felon. This guy lived in one of the toughest places I've ever been, terrain wise. le never went to this guys trailer because of the difficulty getting to him. To put it mildly this guy was no choir boy to say the least. Long story short, after sitting on this trailer for a couple days I got a call from an informant that led us to this guy. We apprehended him, placed him in jail had our paperwork signed and left. He is now doing time on a probation violation and will be tried on meth charges after he does his time on the PV.

A few days later the guys picture shows up in the newspaper as being arrested. Now I don't give a tinkers damn about my name being in the paper but it sure would have been nice if they had reported that the guy was apprehended by two Bail Agents.

Unless and until we start demanding the news media report the facts our image will continue to deteriorate. I think all of us must become proactive in this matter.

You can bet your bottom dollar we'll be mentioned, name, address, age, ses, race etc. if we screw up.

Hopefully this is a subject that can be discussed at one of the NABBI meetings. Personally, I'm not waiting for the meeting, what about you!! Not looking for an answer, just food for thought.

_________________
Bill Williams
Bail Agent
Eagle Bonding Services
Asheville NC 28804
828-777-8667
Lic # NC10013561
Lic # TN 2033018

Never be haughty to the humble
or humble to the haughty - Jefferson Davis

This subject is one of the things that we can as the NABBI to publicize the important part that bail recovery "PROFESSIONALS" do everyday.

I am willing to bet that, had things gone south or if anything negative had occured, the names and occupations would have been a major part of the write up. I, too, have read where my apprehensions have been turned into LE arrests. Though I never cared to be on TV or in the news, I always wonder how different things would be written if it were a negative story.....would the Police still get credit? I doubt it, but if they did, it would be retracted within a short time, I am sure. Why not with us? Thats the $1mil question.

_________________
********************
Thomas SnoWolf
FRN# 1999
GAPB 20120726
NSIS ST0707
http://www.rocksolidrg.com
"The hero is not the man that acts without fear,
He is the man that acts inspite of fear"

Bonded a fella on multiple charges locally several months ago... $10,000 bond... he called a lawyer but did not retain him and consequently, when the court date rolled around and he did not show (assuming that since he had contacted an attorney, he would be there... duuuu.... no pay, no show) well, the court issued a show cause/FTA on him and placed an active warrant on him but did not pick him up....

Newspaper article that week.... "Anyone having information on the whereabouts of "------------" please contact the "<<>>" sheriffs dept; Mr. <<>> is wanted in connection with multiple charges resulting from .... blah, blah, blah... and also for failure to appear on these charges in the <><>> general district court last Thursday."

The paper also made mention that I had bonded him out, but did not also mention that I picked him up and put him back in jail (BEFORE THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE WAS ON THE NEWSSTANDS LOOKING FOR HIM!!!) and was now off the bond.... nope no mention. In fact, no mention of him ever being put back in jail by anyone was mentioned afterwards or since.

All I did was call him while I was in front of his house, he came out with the phone in his hand and I simply told him to get in my car so we could go to the magistrate and get it straight.... which we did. No cuffs, no pepper spray, no physical action at all... 99% of mine are like that.... and none ever have been reported and probably never will be... mainly because, quiet, easy going activity does not sell as an interest story...

It sounds like much of what you (Bill) and Scott and several others on here do would garner some media attention but what I do is usually just too laid back to interest anyone... so I make light of the tales and just relate them here.

Scott and many other professionals on FRN have brought it up in the past that most of us usually do not want too much notoriety... I talk a lot of stuff on here.... FRN... but say or post nothing in the real world, as in the papers.....

I will simply say this............. I think Bill W. has a valid point, you guys should relate your success stories to the media since it would certainly put us in a much better light... I of course, will just continue to tell my tales on FRN... just for laughs. No one wants to read about me in the funny papers but serious bond and BEA stories do sell papers and TV spots and when we are successful in our endeavors, we need to tout them in public.

After all, we need to toot our own horns once in a while.

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

I am not trying to push my name in the general public, as I don't need the type of attention from the fugitives that it would generate. I took offense to LE taking credit in a bold face lie and mis-statement of fact in a press release. To Bill W's point, maybe we should adopt a generic press release to promote the benefits of commercial bail. What else that should be addressed is the number of warrants that were served as a result of our collective work product.

Example:

John H. Smith, 28, of Waldorf, MD was apprehended by a National Association of Bail Bond Investigators (NABBI) member, and presented at district 1 for warrant service by the Charles County Sheriff's Department. The subject was apprehended without incident and surrendered for failing to appear on a 2nd assault charge. As a result of his apprehension by this NABBI investigator, 5 additional warrants were caused to be served, at no charge to the general public.
NABBI is an association of Surety Professionals that adhere to a national code of conduct. More information about this association can be found at: http://www.NABBI.com

Just an idea that promotes the positives of this industry and allows the recovery agent to remain anonymous.

Scott

_________________
R.E. "Scott" MacLean III

"Leaders are like Eagles, you never see them in a flock, but one at a time"

Chesapeake Group Investigations, Inc.
Chesapeake Bail Bonds
877-574-0500
301-392-1100 (fax)
301-392-1900 (Office)

Well I was with Scott on this re-arrest.... simply plain and short I was shocked that LE took the stance they took........ The young lady we put back in the "cross bar Hilton" stated she was unlucky that day.....we knew LE had been there several times and just didnt look hard enough..... Makes you wonder about LE and how they want the taxpayer to know that they are on the JOB! .....but the truth be known... we didnt cost the taxpayer not one red penny,,,,until she was in the Sheriffs custody! Sometimes I think LE should hire us....to work thier warrants....

_________________
R.F. (Bob) Rielly
434-984-0275
301-659-4610
Charlottesville VA

Bill,

If your guy appeared in the media as having failed to appear and any mention of how he was found was made, I think they should have stated that he was apprehended by a Bail Agent. As you know, we don't have to fight everyone we apprehend. In fact most go rather smoothly if we've done our homework.

My point is, that unless the public can actually see (read) that people in our profession are out there day and night working to bring in these people the Dog and Beth image will continue as will state sponsored pretrial release. By allowing the reader to think le is picking up our skips only adds to our image problems.

_________________
Bill Williams
Bail Agent
Eagle Bonding Services
Asheville NC 28804
828-777-8667
Lic # NC10013561
Lic # TN 2033018

Never be haughty to the humble
or humble to the haughty - Jefferson Davis

Scott,

I agree, as NABBI, we can publicize the "re arrests" that our members make, if it does not compromise their safety and effectiveness.

That can be done through local press releases and on the website.

Scott, that sounds like an excellent Press Release. Hopefully it would start to reverse the image that has been attached to our profession. One of the things that kept me from pursuing a career in Fugitive Recovery in the past was the stigma that is there whenever you tell somebody about it, and the only reason the stigma is present is because the only publicity this job gets is negative publicity. Even in TV shows or movies, the job is portrayed as loose cannons out for an adrenaline rush. Maybe one day soon the public will actually see our job as an important role in the criminal justice system instead of just a punch line.

_________________
Bret Kalista
Helena, MT

The press release example is fine with me but at this point I'd settle for "a Bail Agent, FRA, BEA, etc made the apprehension". Hell, anything is better than what we are now getting!

Any way you cut it Billl M, you made it happen at no expense to the taxpayer. That along with no screw up's is what it's all about.

_________________
Bill Williams
Bail Agent
Eagle Bonding Services
Asheville NC 28804
828-777-8667
Lic # NC10013561
Lic # TN 2033018

Never be haughty to the humble
or humble to the haughty - Jefferson Davis