Private Police in VA

Bill Martz,

Can you shine some light about Private Police in VA? When I saw this on MSN, I just could not believe what I was reading.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/privat ... ar-BBi61Wv

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Steve Faircloth
A Way Out Bail Bonds
(220) 204-9733 Cell
NSIN# SF0105
LIC. #704058

Steve, did you mean Bill Marx??? I am in Virginia... Martz is in Indiana I believe... but he, I am sure, could answer this question also............... but, yep, it is true...

Several years ago I had an issue with a bondsman who had a picture of a badge with the tag "Special Police"... a bondsman cannot have anything on his card that identifies him as LE... but apparently, this was legal... I have a call into DCJS as we speak, asking if a bondsman can also be a SCOP... if that is the case... it opens a whole area that is ... IMHO going to be a very large bag of worms... but it just ads to the situations we find ourselves in daily.

I am already very concerned about the types of persons who are becoming bondsman... I really wonder how they managed to pass the tests.... I see instances on a daily basis where a bondsman (or woman) is sitting in the jail awaiting their turn with the magistrate... there for bonding and when I look at them... I am thinking they are a family member or related in some way to the defendant.... strange is all I can say... now don't get me wrong... but appropriate dress and actions means a lot in my book and when I see someone in a punked out ride... baseball hat on backwards... pants halfway to their knees... Tshirts or tank tops... or a woman dressed like a hooker.... and they identify themselves as a bondsman.. ok... you tell me.... what do you think????

you can check out the VA link to acquire your SCOP license here... : http://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/pss/special/scop.cfm"


"To become a SCOP in Virginia, an individual must register with the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. That requires the applicant to pass a criminal background check and an alcohol and drug test. The new bill ups the training requirement to 130 hours for armed SCOPs — still far less than the 580 to 1,200 hours required of municipal police officers in the state."

ADDED LATER: Here's something for you to consider.... I just checked the number of SCOP license holders in VA.... there are 24 pages of names... each page has approximately... 40 names... quickly, that computes to somewhere in the neighborhood of 900 to 1000 licensed SCOP in Virginia... many, if not most are armed and I would be willing to bet, that most have had no experience other than the training received through the schools teaching the courses... frankly, that scares me a bit... but of course, I may be expecting too much... maybe my concerns are unfounded....

_________________
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"

"Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is expected to sign the bill increasing training and regulation for SCOPs. Sen. Thomas K. Norment Jr., who sponsored it, said he would like to eventually bar SCOPs from calling themselves police and using flashing lights. The current bill allows them to do both, with the permission of the courts."

Frankly, I would agree with this... it would help eliminate the creating of "wannabee cops" which... IMHO, would be asking for trouble.

... of course, this is just my opinion and I am just an old man with a narrow minded outlook on things... so, go figure.

UPDATE:

Just spoke to DCJS... one of their investigators... he said: "yes, you can be a SCOP and also a bondsman and/or a recovery agent"... and he also said "yes, this does present problems and it is being addressed"

... and that was the focus of the conversation...

He also said "he was aware of the organization 'NABBI' and how they were trying to "clean up the industry"... I found that to be very enlightening... and hopeful...

_________________
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"

Texas City Gets Rid of Police Dept., Hires 'SEAL' Security - Guess What Reportedly Happened to Crime http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/03 ... -to-crime/

_________________
Jason Pollock
Owner/Operator
Surety Risk Management
Los Angeles, California
(323) 786-FIND

"Approach is Everything."

This was also a topic of discussion a while back when a fella from the Chicago area appeared here . . .briefly

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Do not consider anything for your interest which makes you break your word, quit your modesty, or inclines you to any practice which will not bear the light, or look the world in the face .... Marcus Antonius

I AM Some Folks "KARMA" and A MODERATOR @ FRN

In my personal opinion... there is nothing inherently wrong with privatizing any type of business or industry that is currently being performed by the Federal or State or Local governments.

The main problem that I would address is the training received... that is the issue... if the training is carried out in a way that prepares the officers in a realistic and meaningful way... it probably is a workable idea.

The underlying problem, as I see it under current conditions, is that the training that is available is not regulated to an extent that gives the needed level... too many fly by night schools out there that tout training but in reality, do little more than take in money and turn out wannabees with a badge and a piece of paper... those schools need to be more tightly regulated and scrutinized. If that is done, I think privatizing the police forces can probably work.

I will say that there also needs to remain in place... law enforcement on a national level as in the FBI, the Marshal Service and other higher ranking organizations... but on a state or local level, I think it just might work.

I am not so sure about the SCOP licensing that is currently available in a number of states, including Virginia... I know for a fact that the training is just not there and that... IMHO, can be problematic.

_________________
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"

In PA a law enforcement agency must be issued an ori number and the psp administers this in PA on behalf of the fbi, the agency would need this ori number and an approved facility to request access to ncic, the commonwealth law enforcement network etc.. not to mention a system to issue and file citations and criminal complaints. There are private police in PA but they have to have act120 training/ certification just like municipal police, and unless they work for a large institution like a college or the railroad they can do little more than private security i.e. detain and call the police. I dont see how these scops in VA are able to act as police the way they do without a lot of insurance and the proper facilities.