New Chief for Concord Police Department

The Concord Police Department has announced their new Chief of Police will be Guy Swanger. Swanger is a former San Diego Police Department officer and has served with them since 1984.

Captain Swanger, 49, will be replacing David Livingston, who was formally of the Concord Police Department and served as the Police Chief. Livingston was elected Sheriff for Contra Costa County.

The City Manager, Dan Keen, said Read more »

San Luis Obispo Bail Bondsman Arrested

This Thanksgiving was not a good day for Todd Russell Dolezal, bail bondsman and owner of San Luis Bail Bonds. On Thursday Dolezal was arrested and booked into County jail on four charges stemming from alleged business operations violations. His bail was set at $10,000. 

Dolezal, who was arrested on suspicion of state law violations that apply to all California bail agents, was charged with criminal conspiracy, soliciting bail business inside of a jail, and failing to keep proper records as a bail solicitor and/or making them available for inspection to the insurance commissioner or their representatives. Most people are surprised to find Read more »

LAPD ‘Lock It, Hide It Keep It Campaign’

Beware of the Holiday “Smash and Grab”

The holiday rush is upon us once again.  With work, school, shopping, cooking, family converging on our homes; it’s no wonder our cars can turn into a traveling offices and storage lockers.

Unfortunately, thieves know that’s also a fact.  They know that people become so rushed that they fill their cars with expensive electronic gadgets, such as PDA’s, laptops, DVD equipment, cameras and CD’s or purses, wallets, backpacks, briefcases, and more.

Just recently, a woman returned to her Lexus SUV parked at the Eagle Rock Plaza Mall and found her window smashed. Her handbag and laptop were both gone.

On Monday, a discussion was focused on ‘Burglary Thefts From Motor Vehicles,’ also known as BTMV to police officers. The San Fernando Valley LAPD conference was entitled, “Holiday Reminder — Lock It, Hide It, Keep It – Don’t Let the Grinches Steal Your Holiday Spirit.”

This campaign is focused on encouraging the public to always lock and hide their items.  Stressing to never leave items in plain sight, as it may tempt any would-be holiday thief.

LAPD’s San Fernando Valley deputy chief of operations, Kirk Albanese explained, crime increased 12% last year between Thanksgiving and January 5th. “The message is universal, and very simply, it is that with the holiday season approaching, thefts and burglaries are significantly higher.”

During the conference, they discussed and demonstrated how it only takes just a few seconds to break a window and grab the items in sight. Albanese said, “It happens like that — and even if police are around the corner it doesn’t matter.” And there’s a greater likelihood of the thefts happening near mall locations.

The following theft prevention tips were offered by the LAPD:

1. Always Read more »

New Chief of Police for Martinez Police Department

Gary Peterson, formally a Police Commander for the Martinez Police Department has now been named and promoted to Chief of Police. Peterson has served with Martinez Police Department since 1989.

While working with the Police Department, Peterson has performed a number of duties including patrol officer; he served as a detective and has also served as a team member of their S.W.A.T.

Peterson has served as Commander since 2008 and prior to that, served as a Sergeant.

Peterson will begin his Chief of Police position Read more »

How To Get Someone Released From Jail Using Bail Bonds

The Arrest

Once someone has been arrested and has gone through the booking and processing procedures, they should then be allowed to make a phone call. Generally, they will call call a friend or family member.  The person who was contacted usually then needs to to call a bail bondsman to arrange for release of the defendant from jail. 

When the defendant contacts a family member or friend, they ideally will provide the following information: full legal name, social security number, date of birth, the arrestung agency (police, sheriff, highway patrol, etc.), why in general they were arrested and the jail where they are being held. If they can provide their booking number and their bail amount, this will also help to make the bailing out process proceed faster.  All of this information is needed for the bondsman to get the defendant released as quickly as possible. If you do not have it available, a reputable bondsman will be able to obtain necessary information from the jail.

A Bondsman May Not Help

You might be surprised to find there are some instances where a bail bonds company may decline to take the case. While there are many contributing factors for a bondsman not to take the case, most often it is due to the amount of the risk involved in the bond.  In addition to the ability of someone to pay for the bond, the bondsman will want to feel secure that the defendant will return to court as promised.  

Bail Contract & Responsibilities

When the bond is posted by a family member or friend, they are entering into a contract with the bail bondsman. The purpose of the bail bond contract is to guarantee, to both the bail agent and the court, that the defendant will show up to their future court dates as expected.

Before anyone signs the contract, the bail bondsman will make sure the co-signer understands the commitment they are guaranteeing, and an ethical bondsman will not sign until it is fully understood. The bail bondsman needs to make sure the co-signer knows that if the defendant does not show up, he or she will be responsible for the full bond amount.

No Collateral Bail Bonds

The need for collateral depends on the bail amount and the risk involved. Sometimes just a simple signature on the bail bond is all that is required, while other times the use of a property or collateral bail bond will be needed. Some bail companies who only require a signature may request that the cosigner live in the area, own a home in the area or work in the area.  If a no collateral bail bond is important to you, make certain you are dealing with a bondsman that offers this.

Release From Jail

After the bail bond has been signed, the bail bondsman will post the bond to securely release the defendant from jail. Tthe defendant’s responsibility is then to show up to his or her scheduled court date. Assuming that happens, the bail bond is “exonerated” and no further contact is needed with the bondsman.

Most Asked Questions About Bail Bonds Recovery

Questions about fugitive recovery agents, also known as “bounty hunters,” are very popular. Understanding bail recovery is something both the defendant and the cosigner should be willing to understand before engaging a bail bondsman. In the event that a defendant “skips bail,” meaning they do not show up for scheduled court appearances as agreed and cannot be easily located, a bounty hunter is retained to bring the defendant back.

Question: Why is bail bond recovery important to a bondsman?

Answer: Bail bonds companies are businesses, and a business relies (mostly) on one thing: money. In the bail bond process, the defendant or cosigner is responsible for paying a 10% fee in exchange for the services that the bail bond company provides. That 10% fee is income to that bail bond company. Although most bail bondsmen only accept a defendant as a client when they feel the individual show up to court, sometimes that doesn’t happen. If a defendant misses court, the court will demand that the entire bail amount be paid by the bail bond company. Usually, this is a significant amount of money for the bail bonds company to absorb.  Therefore, the bondsman will hire a bounty hunter to track and bring in the defendant so the bondsman is not stuck in a financial situation.

Question: What kind of authority does a bounty hunter possess?

Answer: Bounty hunters are hired to do whatever they can to bring back the defendant. It is in the best interest of the court, the bail bonds company and the defendant. They can cross state lines and enter buildings to retain a defendant. However, the bounty hunter must be certain of the defendant’s location before entering buildings.

Question: What happens when the defendant is arrested by a bounty hunter?

Answer: Once the defendant is found and arrested, he or she will be brought back to the court via a local jail.  Additionally, and most likely, their bail will be significantly increased to a higher amount or quite possibly, they will be held in jail without any bail at all. When the fugitive recovery agent apprehends a defendant, the bounty hunter will be paid by the bondsman, often more than the bondsman made from the client, but less than would have been paid to the court. For example, a bounty hunter will earn 15 to 30% of the bail amount plus all expenses incurred in apprehending the defendant. So if the bond amount was set at $10,000, the fee to the bounty hunter will be $2,000 to $3,000. In such a case, the bail bond company that was going to pay $10,000 to the court will end up saving between $7,000 and $8,000 because they used the services of a bounty hunter. Additionally, the court and general public benefit by having the fugitive back in custody to face charges.

Adelanto Jail

General  Information

Adelanto Jail
9438 Commerce Way
Adelanto, California 92301
Phone: (760) 530-9300
Adelanto Bail Bonds

When a person is arrested in Adelanto, they will be transported to the Adelanto Police Station located on Bartlett Avenue.  Release can typically take between 4 to 12 hours depending on the individual case and how busy the staff at the facility is.

Rules for Visiting Adelanto Jail:

• Visiting days Read more »

What is Bail Enforcement?

When you hear the term “Bail Enforcement,” you may immediately get a vision of Dog the Bounty Hunter. While “The Dog” may be entertaining, simply put, “Bail Enforcement” refers to “enforcing” the agreement of a defendant to return to court and appear before a judge in a criminal case where bail has been implemented. Many people assume this is the main job of a bail bondsman, but for the most part, bondsmen get defendants out of jail. Nationally, it is estimated that 98% of defendants released on a bail bond return to court as promised. Thus, a bondsman has little need to perform bail enforcement.

That said, what bail enforcement does, is enable the bail bondsman to return the defendant to court or jail, he or she feels the defendant will not go to court or has missed court willfully. Overall, bail enforcement is allowed in order to protect the general public by enforcing the court’s order to stand before a judge.

Generally, before any a bondsman will return a defendant to jail, Read more »