On May 21, 2010, the California Bail Agents Association (CBAA) met for the first time ever in Pomona, California. The bail bond industry is facing a surplus of problems in the business right now but fortunately there are a lot of people who want to resolve them. Tedd Wallace, Vice President of CBAA and AIA bail bond agent, is one of those people. According to Wallace, the real enemy of the bail bond industry is pretrial release. The mandate of pretrial release states that defendants are released based on financial need while being supervised to make sure they are compliant and appearing in court. As we know, this does not happen.
Wallace discussed the efforts that are being made in Santa Clara County and urged everyone for their support. A win anywhere will open the doors for other areas. He recently met with victims’ groups, such as M.A.D.D. and battered women’s groups, explaining how their tax dollars are being spent on releasing defendants with no guarantee they will return to court for sentencing. He hopes for their support in fighting this battle as well.
Assemblyman Hector De La Torre is running for California Insurance Commissioner. La Torre is big on reform and more than willing to work with bail agents to find out what is not working and make the changes that need to happen. While many people in his position are using it as a means to get to a higher level, he wants to stay at his position for the full two terms if elected.
La Torre listened to the suggestions and comments of what agents said needs to be done right now. One of the issues discussed was the licensing requirements being too low; there needs to be better policing of agents. Corrupt law enforcement agencies and rate caps were also issues that La Torre said will be fully researched if he is elected.
Victor R. Stull, San Bernardino County Supervising Deputy District Attorney, supports private enterprise over government-run and government-funded programs. According to Stull, bail bond agents have more incentive in capturing fugitives than the government does because of the direct financial impact it has on them. Stull welcomes suggestions and information in order to better understand the industry. However, one thing Stull does understand completely: bail bond agents are an integral part of the justice system.
Al Lopez, CBAA president and AIA bail bond agent, spoke about The Bail Agent’s Perfect Storm. He stressed the importance of the bail industry supporting Tedd Wallace on the fight against pretrial release; not only for the industry as a whole, but for public safety in general.
Curt Hagman, California State Assemblyman, spoke about the state budget being at a $20B deficit. According to Hagman, there are two ways to reduce deficit – increase taxes or cut spending. Taxes have already increased; therefore, the Governor’s proposed budget consists of several cuts to government programs. Many of the cuts will be to health and human services programs, which may postpone the budget from being passed. This is a fiscal incentive to stop the abuse of taxpayer funded pretrial release services.
He addressed the need for bail reform and provided some information on new programs that may be coming to generate more income for bail bond agents:
Parole Bonds – inmates could be released on parole while held on a bond. This may enable eligible inmates to be released sooner to cut back on the cost of housing them in the jails.
Post Conviction Bonds – certain, non-violent offenders may be sentenced to house arrest with this bond.
Medical Bonds – would allow an inmate to be released on bond while dealing with a medical procedure. Once the procedure is completed, the defendant would be placed back in custody.
Sean Cook, Area 4 Director and OCBAA President, discussed the issues they are facing in Orange County. He stated the main problem was backdoor favoritism in the Orange County Jail. Even though the previous Sheriff, Mike Corona, has been indicted, convicted and now on appeal, the corruption continues to occur under the newly appointed Sheriff, Sandra Hutchins. Cook explained that he and other bail agents in Orange County hired Bill Hunt, hopeful Orange County Sheriff, as their private investigator to gather evidence of fraud happening in the jail.
Bill Hunt believes in the private sector of bail because it creates job opportunities, increases public safety and reduces government spending. Hunt wants to get involved and regulate the fraudulent issues that he investigated. CBAA supports Bill Hunt and are hopeful for his election. The Orange County Bail Agents Association (OCBAA) also expressed their support for Bill Hunt at their meeting on May 11, 2010 in Orange, California.