Bail Bond Company Advertising

About the magnetic signs on your vehicle at jails. I was going to do that, but I have seen a few bonding companies get scolded by the administrators saying that is solicitation. Anybody have any idea if that's true "solicitation"?

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Joshua P. Woodby
P.I./Surety Agent/Washington Co. TN Appointed Process Server
Owner, A Beagle Investigations and Process Service
TN P.I. License #6232, TN P.I. Company License #1496
Senior Agent, A Bail Away Bonding Company Inc.
T.A.P.B.A. Certification Always Current

It's not solicitation. It's advertising. You are a legitimate business and you have a right to advertise it. As long as you are not "parking" a signed vehicle for several hours or days on end, in the same spot, you aren't abusing it.

They can scold all they want, but the real question, is it illegal ? if it isn't illegal, then they can gripe all they want. Tell me this, what's the difference in a signed car and a logo'd shirt ? Logo'd briefcase ? Ball cap, coffee mug, key chain, bill board, etc ?

Soliciting means making actual contact with another party to engage in commercial commerce for personal gain. How Is having a signed car soliciting ? You aren't approaching anyone, are you ? How about the other jail house vendors showing up in logo'd vehicles ? The soda machine people, coffee people, laundry people, etc. Hell for that matter, how about having the sheriff's name on the patrol cars : "so and so..sheriff of blank county"..is not the sheriff him/herself in fact using county property and tax payer dollars for advertising his name for re-election purposes ?

Additionally, the car is in the parking lot...you are inside the jail appropriately dressed in company logo'd shirt of some sort...t-shirt, polo, sweatshirt, turtleneck, etc..or maybe wearing a jacket now that the weather is turning cooler.

We had the same issue here regarding advertising apparell inside/around the jails. 1 company was completely decked out...blazing shirts with huge letters, logos, slogans, and of course telephone numbers; ball caps, and a sign on thier briefcase. This had never been done before here. So the established companies complained to the local judges..citing the "solicitation" rule. The judge ruled that "advertising" was different from "solicitation" as long as the bondspersons were not actively approaching people and trying to get thier business. So as long as the bondspersons are seated in the waiting area and a person approaches them...that's 1 thing....but they cannot approach anyone themselves.

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River City Associates
Decatur, Al. 35601

In Maryland, it is absolutely solicitation and will get you shut down by the bail commissioner. All of the people with the wrapped vehicles around here have to park their vehicles in parking lots at shopping centers, not allowed on Jail or Court Property, period.

Scott

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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 there ya go...different allowances in different jurisdictions.

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River City Associates
Decatur, Al. 35601

We are not allowed to solicite or advertise at the jail or courthouse. We cannot leave business cards or other advertising materials, such as pens, keychains, ballcaps, etc at either place, but there has to be some manner of allowing detainees to contact a bondsman. We are allowed to wear apparel with our names on them, and since many of the jails have only public parking, they can't say much about vehicles with advertising. There is a difference between active and passive advertising. Wearing identifying clothing is acceptable under state law. Handing out business cards or other items is not.

Some of the jails do take business cards and or flyers and post them near the pay phones. As long as they accept them from everyone, not just a certain one or few, it is okay. Some post a list of locals, some only have a phone book. The jails are given some leniency in how they allow access to us. It only has to be fair to all. If my jail only had a phone book, it would be limited to those that had yellow page listings here. I am the only local agent, so everyone else has to pay for even a one line listing. To limit access to those wouldn't be fair.

I have been approached at jails outside my immediate AO when an indemnitor saw me there posting a bond, or when a jailer pointed me out to a potential indemnitor as being a bondsman. They aren't referring me, just telling the person who I am. Sometimes I get the bond, sometimes not.

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Kathy Blackshear
Blackshear Investigations
Blackshear Bail Bonds
Sales Associate, Prepaid Legal Services, Inc.
Walsenburg, CO

Proud Member of the AB Reject Club

I have'em plasterd all over all my vehicles here...We all do. They just dont want us standing outside the jail or courthouse handing out cards and what not. All my people wear T-shirts with the logo, phone # etc. on the back. Several Bonding companies around here do also.

Will getcha spanked here and a fine . . . from the Board

As far as the ability to make contact . . .We, BBAs, are Listed by the Date of Company Registration in each County and that List is to be placed where ever there is a phone available at a Facility and there can be no BBAs Name on the list. Company Name Local Addie Local PH # That List was maintained by The Circuit Court Clerk in each County up until this past summer and the Legislature made the Board responsible (let us Pray that Greed does not raise its' ugly head)

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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

We can wear clothing with our company name into the jail or courthouse when posting a bond. Nothing is said about having a sign on your vehicle, either. These are considered "passive" advertising and is allowed, versus the not allowed active advertising such as leaving business cards or anything else with your advertising on it at the jail or courthouse.

The jails are required to have some form of available access to bondsmen, and many just have their local YP as access. Some of the smaller counties like mine allow bondsmen to place business cards or a flyer on the wall by the payphone. Otherwise even the local agents (I am the only one in my county) and any others wanting to write bonds here would pretty much be forced to pay for a YP ad to get any business. As long as they do not discriminate in who they allow to post the info it is okay.

I know one bondsman that used to "remove" other agents cards at my jail until a jailer saw him and wouldn't let him near the phone anymore. Instead of being able to leave multiple cards on the phone or wall like we had been able to do, he could leave one card that would be fastened to the wall. After that, they pretty much did the same with everyone. In another instance surveillance cameras at another jail caught him tearing pages out of the YP except for the one with his ad. He got severely warned on that one, too. He thought it was funny, even after he got caught. Some people have the ethics of a snake, and continue to ruin it for everyone.

There is also one county that I know of that I'm not sure how they post agents' info inside the jail, but have a list on the front counter (with public access) that a bondsman has to pay $100 to be listed on. I never got on it because I know the agents that write there and how they work, so if they won't do the bond, people are reaching by calling others. Unless it is somebody I know or the person isn't local, I won't even talk to them. I have done a few that the other's didn't, just because I took the time to get all of the info and it turned out right. For the most part though, I defer to their personal knowledge of the person. I have no problem picking up the phone to find out why the local person didn't write it. Usually there is a reason, sometimes personal (I'll look closer at those), sometimes the defendant is just a scumbag and a risk, and I don't waste my time. When we work together, we all get better success.

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Kathy Blackshear
Blackshear Investigations
Blackshear Bail Bonds
Sales Associate, Prepaid Legal Services, Inc.
Walsenburg, CO

Proud Member of the AB Reject Club

Wearing company logo's in our courts are also a BIG NONO. Hefty Fine So we polo shirts with Banker's Surety Services, Inc. The department of insurance says it's okay as long it doesn't have Bail Bonds on them.

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

wow thank-you all i have gotten alot of great ideas i didnt think about again thanks