rant and rave!!

Ok I am going to gloat a little bit here but bear with me because there is a message in here some place!!
I have just recovered another lost soul fairly quickly I might add,caught my skip within 5 hours of recieving the go ahead from the bondsman to find him.Would have been alot sooner if my partner was available to assist me.This would have taken me more like 3 hours if I was not been alone and waiting for some reenforcements!! This bondsman is starting to get used to me recovering his defendants quickly,I might have to slow it up a bit for him!! lol

Anyway this defendant had 7 felony warrants out of another county other than the 1 I had him on.When calling for assistance from LEO I recieved a big runaround,now I have never had problems with getting assistance from Davidson county in the past so I didnt think there would be such a problem.

First I call dispatch and the woman there tells me I need to contact warrants division,from there I am told that they would need Rutherford county warants division to verify thier warrants before they would send me any assistance.Now I already told them that I have my warrant with me from coffee county,yet they still wanted the other county to verify thiers?!

Finally I get someone to tell me that they were sending out assistance for me,so I wait about 20 minutes and recieve a call from the Sgt. on duty saying that it was against thier policy to aid bondsman(WHAT??!!) the man was not trying to be an arse and he stated this in our conversation so I politely stated that I was not trying to be an arse either and technically the Tca codes state that they are required to assist if needed.He continued to state that it was the police dept. policy and he was just trying to keep his butt out of a sling also that he would not be sending any assistance.

So I call Rutherford county warrants division and I have the woman there fax over all the warrants to Davidson county and low and behold I get a call back from the police dept.(not the Sgt.)stating that it is NOT thier policy to not give assistance but it was probably that Sgt. policy!! they apoligised and said that they were sending assistance.45 minutes later and no assistance I give up and call another bonding company 30 minutes away that also had this man on bond and let them know I found thier defendant and for them to come give me a hand if possible.

These men show up(before Davidson county or metro) and we find our defendant in the home,take him into custody and I transport him back to Coffee county jail.

That is why I say I could have had him sooner!! all that just because I didnt want my defendant running out a back door!! I have come up with a plan for this the next time I need to recover a defendant alone though and is simply this....A masterlock door security bar!! 20 dollar problem solver. of course it will only work for the back doors that swing outwards but I have noticed that most of the places I have been to do swing outwards.

_________________
Jay Crawford
Eagle Eye Fugitive Recovery
"based out of Bethpage Tn."
Cell:(931)551-5020

Congrats .. on the catch .. as for PD.. here in FL.. if you dont call the Local PD before you hit a location.. they biatch at ya.... or when you do call them ..they rarely come... and then they get a 911 call from neighbors and show up asking "WHY WE DIDNT CALL" .. then we tell them we did call your dispatch and you never showed up and we were not waiting .. it is NOT a Police Matter.. We call the Police as a COURTESY here ... it is NOT a requirement.. but I like to have them there standing by cause I would hate for an officer to get into a car wreck responding to my location when all is under control to begin with... some depts here love to come and get involved .. some dont.. it all depends on the cop and the area..

it sounds like you got in touch with a Sgt that didnt wanna do anything and gave you the run around.. (in NYC we called them EMPTY SUITS).. Empty Suit Cops are in every Police Dept in Every State and County .. Me being one towards the end of my career I wont lie.. but I did care in the beginning but ..after the job crucifies you enough for every and any little thing you do whether it be right or wrong .. you become an EMPTY SUIT.. Collect your check and go home.. You can have 100 that a boys ! and 200 Medals of Valor ...1 "AWWW CRAP" and screw up & you are done.. all those "adda boys" go right out the window and they are quickly forgotten..

Be safe .. take your time.. always use caution .. never try and make an apprehension yourself.. your life is worth MUCH MORE then this fugitive.. The Bottom Line is that you Need to Go Home after your Capture... Safe & Sound.. ! If backup is not there yet .. keep the place under surveillance until you can get back up there.. you get no extra brownie points for Fast Apprehensions if God Forbid you get hurt or killed in the process..

Once again .. Congrats !

_________________
JEFF P.
Limited Surety Agent (FL) - License # P_2O8124_
Private Investigator (FL) - License # C_27OOO33_
NABBI Member



"Surprise Sex is the Best Thing to Wake up to, UNLESS, You are in Jail... "

I agree with you Jeff on not doing recoveries alone and that is why this particular case took longer than it should have.I have been doing this work long enough to know the concept of not attempting recoveries by myself and have seen some not so happy outcomes when they were attempted.This was a first time in a long while that I had to be there quickly to get eyes on my defendant and my no good partner wasnt available!! lol j/k he is a good partner but this time he was a pain in the butt!! He was also on his way after telling him I was sitting outside this guys place on my own.He was over an hour away and I would have really been upset if he made it before anyone else!!

I am very patient usually,I have sat outside a residence for 17 hours straight at one time and than had to leave but came back an hour or so later to watch it for another 6 hours before finally capturing my defendant.Was a 3rd party residence and I never visually seen defendant enter but I knew he was there (90 percent possitive) I was not risking him bolting on me.That was not the first time I had sat for so long either and I am sure it wont be the last.I use the utmost caution when doing recoveries,my happy arse is going home safe and sound EVERY time as long as I have anything to say about it.If (heaven forbid) anything were to happen to me while doing a recovery there should be no doubt that myself and my team did everything reasonably possible to handle the situation properly and safely.

As for that Sgt.,other officers told me pretty much the same thing you did and I kind of figured that anyway due to me never having a problem before.

Here in Tn. it is a requirement to notify local law enforcement of your intentions and they are required to assist if asked for it.I usually dont need them to be there but we do notify them EVERY time,It is nice to have them there if needed though.Sometimes people react a little better with a uniformed officer there.I will never turn down an officer that wants to help but I do not usually ask them to be there.

In the long run they supposedly ended up sending units due to another dept. getting on to them and sending their warrants to them.I had another agent give me a hand and they arrived before local PD,which was amazing because the agents that came came from 30 minutes away and in a different town,yet still beat local PD. No biggie though,outcome was in my favor regardless and no reall ill will towards the Sgt..In a way I understood that he didnt want his butt in a sling but it was still a little irritating.

_________________
Jay Crawford
Eagle Eye Fugitive Recovery
"based out of Bethpage Tn."
Cell:(931)551-5020

Wow thats crazy I just did a pickup in a high risk area called ahead of time to 911 dispatch they passed the info to OPD command as soon as I verified the person I was looking for was there I called back 30 seconds later I had 4 cruisers on scene and 10 mins later we had the person in custody and off to the jail we went. Im sorry this happened to you but you did everything right Always Always give a heads up to the police dept First! It is a respect thing as well as in some cases the Law. Its always good to have a plan B backup plan in case of a problem as what you had.


Quote: I have come up with a plan for this the next time I need to recover a defendant alone though and is simply this....A masterlock door security bar!! 20 dollar problem solver. of course it will only work for the back doors that swing outwards but I have noticed that most of the places I have been to do swing outwards.

You may want to rethink this part it could open you up to a lawsuit with fire laws and codes say if a fire breaks out its a touchy area. IMO

_________________
Robert Graff
Pro-Tec Recovery Agency
(402)208-0044
Omaha, Nebraska.

It seems as if they are all "EMPTY SUITS" here in NYC.
I check in all the time and it's rare that some ask if I need a sector to go.
I always get questioned like it's new or I'll get "OK good luck."

It's difficult doing things by your self, but unfortunately, for various reasons, it happens.
Glad it all worked out for you Jay. Congrats

_________________
If the world didn't suck we would all fall off. (Luvonda)
Nobody has power over you that you do not allow them to have. (Scott)
Be careful of the seeds you plant because one day they will be harvested.

Dave
Private Investigator
Licensed by the NYS DOS Division of Licensing

Dave in NYC the NYPD has become such a pathetic job the ONLY cops that are doing anything work related are the Rookies fresh out of the Academy that dont know any better until they get "Jammed Up" for doing something the job deems not right, then the reality check kicks in and they start becoming Empty Suits.. The moral of the NYPD today is at an ALL TIME LOW.. the NYPD looks to Jam the cop up for every and any little thing they do. The attitude today within the NYPD is "Do Nothing for 8 hours and 35 Minutes and Go Home" within these 8hrs and 35 Minutes .. the officer gets a 1 hour meal .. that leaves 7 hours and 35 minutes.. within this remaining time the Officer is allowed (2) 20 minute "Personals" .. now you have 6 hours and 55 minutes.. now deduct approx ..1 or lets say 2 hours for car stops and parking tickets, so the officers can get their ticket QUOTAs filled for the day / month.. now you are at approx. 4 hours and 55 minutes.. during this time left the officer(s) are responding to radio runs from "central" dispatch shiit canning 911 calls... also factor in getting Gas in the RMP (Police Car) / Car Wash (Maybe?) .. this leaves you 3 hours and 55 minutes.. time is also consumed by writing any and all reports needed for the radio calls or having to go back to the station house to refer to the Detective Squad ..? another hour or two there.. now you have 1 hour 55 min.. now deduct the time that the officers "MILK" each and every call and not put back a disposition for a radio call delayed so that time gets wasted and they dont have to respond to another call for awhile since they are "Not Available" according to the "CUE" on the dispatcher's (Central's) computer.. this is pretty much how you milk the day as a cop.. EMPTY SUIT 101..

In My entire NYPD career I came across one call that involved Bail Bondsman that were apparently looking for a person... My partner and I did not have one idea what they 1) were allowed to do .. 2) what we were to do in regards to offering any help .. 3) We were never taught NOTHING in regards to Bail Bondsman in the Police Academy.. nor in Training after the Academy.. the only thing about Bail we were taught was that there are times where "STATION HOUSE BAIL" may be posted.. but in all honesty in my 20 years working within the NYPD I have not once witnessed someone posting "Station House Bail" with the Desk Officer at the Station House.. I did however read about what the procedure was in regards to Station House Bail within the Patrol Guide (Officer's Rules and Reg / Bible) when studying for my promotional exam..

In the NYPD today .. you have Cops ratting out other Cops... Cops locking up Other Cops...you have Internal Affairs going around with Parking Enforcement (Traffic Division) tow trucks & towing Unmarked Police Cars and issuing them parking tickets and Marked Police Cars that are parked illegally by Court Houses and or Double Parked responding on 911 Radio Calls getting towed while on department time and responding to 911 calls.. the city does not want you to do your job as a cop .. this is why Most of the Old Timers are A) Retiring ... B) Getting Off Patrol and finding a hidden house mouse job within the Station House.. C) Going Sick, since we have Unlimited Paid Sick Leave.. D) or basically just on Patrol still, but trying to avoid doing ANY and ALL work during their 8hrs and 35 minute Tour of Duty..and then just go home.

The NYPD used to be a great job .. sadly now it has become the worst..

There is a site called "THEE RANT" on a Forum Board called "YUKU" you can Google it and view the posts from many cops and hear their daily Rants and Raves of Cops presently working within the NYPD and those that are retired as well.. and just see the plain true sad facts about how bad the NYPD has become thanks to Ray Kelly the current Police Commissioner and Mayor "Bloomturd" I mean Bloomberg.. and The Previous idiot Mayor that I worked under = Rudolph Giuliani ..another moron.. who only cared about giving his staff and himself pay raises while refusing to give the working Police Officers raises..while we worked for years without a union contract..


Now here in FL you have some departments that are awesome to deal with and you have some departments that are just a nightmare to deal with .. it is like this I guess every where within the US.. guess it is hit or miss... but calling the Station House to have a car respond or just the courtesy "HEADS UP" that you will be in their jurisdiction .. is a good thing to do just to cover yourself and also for added backup/safety.

_________________
JEFF P.
Limited Surety Agent (FL) - License # P_2O8124_
Private Investigator (FL) - License # C_27OOO33_
NABBI Member



"Surprise Sex is the Best Thing to Wake up to, UNLESS, You are in Jail... "

That attitude is not just in NY, especially with the decay of the economy and their own paychecks (no OT). One county in my area in particular is horrifice to deal with at a certain jail... they give bail agents false info just to mess with them, because they know were making money and they have no OT and their morale sucks! One guy we know worked there for over 10 years and quit with nothing else lined up because it got so bad there.. its all over.. unfortunately...

Thanks Dave
Rob,I have had other departments help out greatly.I have a post somewere on here about a dept. in Paris TN. were I had I believe 4 patrol cars and 2 or 3 off duty officers all sitting in a parking lot chasing leads down and when all was said and done they had my fugitive located for me in a very short time frame.I happened to see an officer at a repair shop in town getting a tire fixed and I pulled over just to see if he may have spotted my fugitive recently and the officer took it from there!!
I only posted about Nashville this time for the simple reason that they have helped me before on numerous occasions with no problem at all.They even stood by while we kicked in a door(one of VERY few I might add) at a residence after standing outside waiting for 30 minutes with us.We told them what we were about to do and they said to do what you have to do and watched as we did it.
The "empty suit" term seems to ring very true with this particular Sgt.,I am fairly used to different towns reacting differently towards BEA but one that had always in the past gave me a hand when needed all of a sudden objects it kin of aggrivates me a little.Anyway I have learned from this experience and know who to not talk to when calling for assistance and the next time my partner will be there whether he likes it or not!! lol

_________________
Jay Crawford
Eagle Eye Fugitive Recovery
"based out of Bethpage Tn."
Cell:(931)551-5020

I can fully understand the situations of how different officers act in different jurisdictions. Saldy, I do most of my recoveries solo, unless I have determined it to be a "high risk". I have no issues working with others, but in a state that is not regulated, as well as a high percentage of "ex-felons" and "P&P", it is difficult to find a QUALIFIED person to work with that isn't trigger happy or "DOG Wannabe". I have worked many cases, most of which I have closed solo. Since, my AO is still primarily against Bail Bonds (with many attorneys and prosecutors slowly coming to our side) I spend at least 2+hrs driving to work a case. Primarily, my cases are all out of state cases. So, I spend a lot of time doing research on the case, double checking any changes in laws, notifying agencies of my intent to travel to their jurisdictions, going to the Police Station AND Sheriffs Office to show them my case file and the defendant I am looking for, and the travel back to the jails before I go home and start the next case. I always go to both agencies in the town mainly to get the "face to face" and squeeze any additional intel from them (though if they know the defendant, they are usually open to feeding the information and latest run ins with the subject). I have had many times where they hop in their vehicles and take me directly to his known location(s), and on occasion have had the officers either jump into my car or vice versa.

My latest case took me to Aurora, CO on a defendant that fled the state of Washington... the neighborhood I was in was a townhouse complex. I notified APD, did my due diligence with them and went and sat on the residence. The Security Patrol called me in three times. APD contacted me each time to confirm I was still there, and told security that they knew I was there and to stop pestering me. (I thought that was awesome).

Now, interestingly enough....there were two decommissioned police vehicles on the same street (upfitted) and possibly belonged to bail enforcement agents as well. Anyways, I sat on the residence for five hours before one of the residents came walking up to the entrance, looked in my area, and went inside. I went ahead and decided to follow him and knock on the door (jacket covering sidearm, cuffs, and badge). The male that arrived at the house opened the door just after knocking. I asked if my defendant was home and he said yeah... As he went to go get him I heard him said "bounty hunter is at the door" (apparently, "JD" was his nickname he only used on bail bonds and arrest reports as a "giveaway") I hear the screen on the side of the house move and see my defendant slowly trying to crawl out without making noise. So, I quietly walk up to him as he is trying to crawl (backwards) and quickly shackled his legs.... freaked him out... The good news is he gave up without a fight after that. The trip back to washington was long, but very conversational. He gave me props on his attempted flight from me, and said no one has been able to catch him off guard (as he is so "aware" of his surroundings). Patience is definitely the key.... I say this because as I was sitting on the residence, I saw what I thought was him outside earlier smoking a cigarette, but couldn't confirm it because he kept turning the outside light off everytime he lit up. If I had gone after him during that time, he probably would have given chase. So I waited. According to him, he was looking at 8+yrs for his charges, not including the bond jumping charge.

In the end, cases have their "hit'em" moments and their "hold'em" moments. Sometimes, its just best not to jump on the subject the moment you verify their identity. Some agencies assist, and some, don't. I just give all the upmost respect, keep them updated as to what I'm doing, and maybe the next time I'm out there... I've left a positive impression on our industry for those behind me and after me.

_________________
Timothy Soule
Soule & Associates Investigations
Sheridan, WY
307-763-3134

"As Professional Bail Enforcement Agents, we secure the Risk of the Surety by lawfully protecting the interest of not only the safety and security of our Clients and their Surety Agencies, but their Indemnitors and Defendants as well."

I'm not only fortunate to have a partner I work with that is trustworthy and serious about the job, but also in AZ most of the agencies we work with are 100% cooperative. We always advise local PD of our presence and why we're there, that we don't need backup, we're doing surveillance, etc. They make sure no units run the area so our cover isn't blown and require us to call back to clear scene so they can resume patrol. Sometimes they even ask us how it went off the record. I'm sure we'll encounter a resistant agency or staff member at some point, but so far we've been lucky.

What we do see from patrol, though, is uncertainty and apprehension. Sure they avoid the area when we're there...because they don't want to get involved and get in trouble. Plenty of times we've called for backup, three units roll up, Sgt shows up, asks us what's going on, we explain, show our affidavit and subject info, and they either leave the scene or stay away, saying "call us when we need to keep the peace". Sure Phoenix isn't a major metropolitan crime nightmare, but it is the #2 kidnapping capital in the world, and crime is just as dangerous as it is in any other large city. If something serious were to happen, it would be nice to have them stick around...but they often times don't. I've had better luck with Reservation police than non-native American PD, ironically.

Wish there was a section in the academy that even briefly covered Bail Bonds and Bail Enforcement, it would make a whole lot more sense to patrol, dispatch, and make the cooperation and relationship just a little better...possibly...