Steve Sparacino

On August 23rd the San Jose City Council will be voting on an ordinance that will make it virtually impossible for Bail Bonds Offices to locate themselves in close proximity to the main jail. This ordinance was brought about by a handful of downtown residents who feel the bail bonds offices have a negative impact on their neighborhood and are occupying retail space that other businesses such as restaurants could be using. The purpose of the ordinance is to disperse the bail bonds companies throughout the city and away from the jail.

The jail and bail bonds offices have been located in this area for over 40 years. No matter what city you are in, bail offices are located in close proximity to the jail, similar to Rental Car Businesses and Hotels that locate in and around airports. Many residents that are pushing for the ordinance have moved into the area with full knowledge of the jail and businesses surrounding them, but wish to change it after the fact. Further, the City Council will be voting on an item that will displace many businesses without actually substantiating any allegations that the businesses have a negative impact on the neighborhood.

Granted I am biased in this matter because I'm a bail agent, but clearly this is a case of the "not in my backyard" mentality. This is a very narrow perspective of my industry based on stereotype and sheer ignorance. If passed by the City Council, they will be placing an unfair burden on small businesses during a time of economic uncertainty. This unfair targeting of an industry and unnecessary regulation is a scary proposition that perpetuates the growing belief that government has grown too large, they are over reaching and are finding frivolous reasons to justify their existence.

The following is a funny letter written to an insurance agent regarding a claim form. Though sickly humorous, there is a moral to the story. Enjoy!

Dear Sir,

I am writing in response to your request for additional information. In block number 3 of the accident reporting form, I put "trying to do the job alone" as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully, and I trust that the following details will be sufficient:

I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six story building. When I completed my work, I discovered that I had about 500 pounds of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley, which, fortunately, was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor.

Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the brick into it. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tight to insure a slow descent of the 500 pounds of bricks. You will note, in block number 11 of the accident reporting form, that I weigh 135 pounds.

Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate up the side of the building.

In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming down. This explains the fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope in spite of my pain.

At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground, and the bottom broke out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighed approximately fifty pounds.

I refer you again to my weight in the accident reporting form, block number 11.
As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounted for the two fractured ankles and the lacerations on my legs and lower body.

The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of bricks, and fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the bricks in pain, unable to stand, and watching the empty barrel six stories above me...I again lost my presence of mind...and let go of the rope!

***You must admit, as guilty as you felt...you still laughed.***

So, in an article in the San Jose Mercury News today titled "Dems and Brown agree on budget" it was reported the California Legislature's failure to pass a balanced budget may be coming to an end. However, this comes with bypassing a special election this year of which Dems know they cannot put a vote to the people that will increase taxes because they know it will fail. Instead, Governor Brown is focusing on pushing an initiative for the November 2012 presidential election because "Democrats and their labor allies said would offer more ideal conditions to win on taxes."

That said, in this article Governor Brown is quoted as saying "I thought we were getting close, but as I look back on it, there is an almost religious reluctance to ever deal with the state budget in a way that requires new revenues." The key words here that inflame me are “new revenues”. That is an amazing slant to “higher taxes”. I’ve never looked at higher taxes (which Californians pay some of the highest) as revenue, but more stealing from our pockets to feed their bad spending habits.

Now let me address the term “new” that was used by Gov. Brown. Hmmm…I like new cars, new houses, new apps for my phone, but new taxes. Really? As if new taxes are something innovative, yet somehow they accomplish this amazing feat every legislative session. That’s like Lance Armstrong boasting that he’s going to learn to ride a new tricycle this year. Anyway, I will get off my political soap box now because I have to find NEW ways of keeping bureaucrats from picking my pocket.

The Fremont Jail is a small detention facility located at the southern edge of Alameda County and is operated by the Fremont Police Department. Typically, this facility will hold a small amount of arrestees from Fremont for up to 72hours or until the arrestee's first court appearance before they are shipped off to the Main County Jail. The nice part about community jails like Fremont is their ability to operate efficiently because they are not overwhelmed by volume.

A perfect example of how the Fremont Jail operates efficiently is how quickly they process bail bonds and release inmates. In most cases once a bail bond is posted at the Fremont Jail, the arrestee will usually be released within 30 to 45 minutes. Compare this to a large facility like Santa Rita, where the release time is 6 to 8 and sometimes 12 hours, and you'll see the huge benefit of community jails like Fremont.

Tapout Bail Bonds has longtime local agents in Fremont that understand this community and how the jail operates so that they can expedite their clients release. Should you need a bail bondsman in Fremont, please trust in Tapout Bail Bonds to get the job done right!

Ok so the title of this blog is a bit humorous and totally puts a positive slant on a bad situation, but let me clarify a little based on how my company (Tapout Bail Bonds) operates. Yes we do get people out of jail and yes we do earn a premium for doing so, but we pride ourselves on taking steps to better peoples lives and situations.

First, you must understand that a bail agent's interaction with a defendant or person arrested is minimal. The reality is that most of our interactions are with indemnitors AKA co-signers for the defendant. This person is usually Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Wife or Friend to the arrestee. When these folks enter our office they are usually very distraught, angry, sad and confused all at the same time. The urgency for them is to get their loved one out of jail as soon as possible and we are there to do that. But what next...

Getting people out of jail only alleviates the initial discomfort for the arrestee and frees him/her to go back to work through the pre-trial period but it does not address the reasons that MAY have landed him/her in jail to begin with. Tapout Bail Bonds has an extensive network of support agencies that we work with to help with this very issue. Our support network consists of Sober Living Environments, Anger Management Counseling Agencies, Abuse Shelters, Crime Victim Advocates, Community Service Organizations and Job Placement Agencies, just to name a few.

Utilizing our support organizations not only helps the arrestee, but helps their families take proactive steps towards remedies so they may never need our services again. It may seem counter intuitive to take steps to not have a repeat client, however it makes total sense if your mission is to "help people".