The Professional Bondsmen of Texas- Blog

  The Bail Project has been in some hot water for the last few months, after three people in Indianapolis committed crimes after their releases were assisted by the organization. David Gasper is the national operations director for The Bail Project. He tells IndyPolitics the organization’s goal is to put an end to cash bail, which he claims is another obstacle for people to overcome, when they don’t necessarily have the means to overcome that obstacle. “Post release, we provide court reminders, transportation assistance, and we connect them with resources to fulfill the needs we’ve identified in our conversations with them,” Gasper tells IndyPolitics. Those needs could be anything including housing, employment or mental health services. Gasper says there’s more to the process of getting to help people than most realize. He says the organization has to wait for a judge to approve a cash bail release. “A bail out decision is not based on the charge alone,” Gasper explains, “we take in th

  Gov. Kathy Hochul has warned embattled Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg she’s prepared to use her powers to force him to reverse his soft-on-crime policies, she told The Post on Wednesday.  “I have options, but I will be monitoring the situation very closely,” she said, during a meeting with The Post’s Editorial Board.  Hochul stopped short of calling for Bragg’s removal from office, but said, “I know full well the powers that the governor has — I’ll be having a conversation very shortly to convey, to let him tell me what his plans are and make sure that we’re all in alignment.”  Hochul will meet with Bragg for the first time on Friday and hear him out, she said. The pair will meet at the governor’s Midtown office, according to a source. “I have options, but I will be monitoring the situation very closely,” Hochul said.  Bragg’s “day one” memo directing his office to take a lenient approach on prosecutions by dropping certain misdemeanor cases or not seeking bail or prison time in others, ha

  Joe Gamaldi, national vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, joins 'The Faulkner Focus' after the funeral service for NYPD Officer Jason Rivera.

  Det. Jason Rivera’s wife Dominique Luzuriaga told a packed St. Patrick’s Cathedral that her young husband would continue to live through her.  Who was Jason Rivera?

  NYPD Officer Jason Rivera's brother delivers a eulogy during his funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

  Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch delivers eulogy for  NYPD Officer Jason Rivera.

  NYPD CO Delivers Eulogy For  NYPD Officer Jason Rivera.

  NYC Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell speaks at  NYPD Officer Jason Rivera.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams' remarks at funeral for NYPD Officer Jason Rivera.

  Slain NYPD cop Jason Rivera was given a solemn final farewell on Friday as his grieving brother told the thousands of officers gathered for his funeral that the rookie’s “first love was policing.” Rivera, 22, was posthumously promoted to detective first grade during the service at Manhattan’s historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral — one week after he was murdered in the line of duty. “He was obsessed with his career in law enforcement,” his emotional older brother, Jeffrey Rivera, said during his eulogy. To see more CLICK HERE .

  WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - A bail bond company in Wichita is doing more than just getting people out of jail. They are working to keep them out.  Heath Duncan has owned A Second Chance Bail Bonds for 12 years. His goal is to help people in difficult situations find a way out.  The company still bails people out of jail, but they go beyond that. He said they help people find drug or alcohol recovery programs or shelters.  "It does seem like a pay-it-forward," Duncan said. "When you see people that came through the doors that's had the opportunity and then go out and give opportunity again, it is a beautiful thing." While not every person is a success story, the ones who are make it worth it. "Sometimes we won't know for three or four years down the road, a person will step back in and say, hey, when you guys did this, it helped. I was able to see my kid or I was able to pay rent that week and it does, it's it's awesome to hear those stories,"

  A transgender woman, now 26, has been ordered to serve just two years in a juvenile detention center for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, after LA DA George Gascon refused to prosecute her as an adult. Hannah Tubbs, formerly known as James, now 26, pleaded guilty in 2020 to sexually assaulting the young girl in a Denny's bathroom in 2014, when she was 17.   Prosecutors had pushed for her to stay in a Los Angeles County Jail and be tried as an adult but Gascón declined to file a motion to move the case out of juvenile court, where it was filed because of Tubbs' age at the time of offense. Gascon said previously that he was concerned Tubbs could be victimized due to her gender identity in an adult facility, and had even recommended she simply be sentenced to home confinement.  Before handing down the light sentence of just two years in a juvenile facility and no requirement to register as a sex offender, Judge Mario Barrera said his hands were tied by Gascón. 'I want

By Sean Kennedy The spike in violent crime since the anti-police protests last year has imposed hundreds of billions of dollars in costs While COVID-19 imposed a terrible toll in death and economic destruction in 2020, another epidemic devastates American communities both financially and personally—violence. Preliminary statistics show murders rose by 35 percent across 60 of the nation’s largest cities. Nationwide FBI data through September show a 21 percent jump in homicide and 8.3 percent increase in aggravated assaults, including those by gun. Aggravated assaults and shootings climbed by roughly 10 percent over the summer and fall of 2020. Such violence exacts a heavy toll or “murder tax” on the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable communities While the spring lockdowns saw a slight lull in violence, the carnage picked up in the aftermath of late May and early June unrest and subsequent police pullback. The epicenters of anti-police protests and riots experienced a dramatic

  Democratic Harris County leaders shut down an effort by Republican Commissioner Jack Cagle to undo the county's existing bail reform agreement and scuttle any new reforms from being enacted. Commissioners voted 3-2 along party lines to instead refer the matter to the county attorney. But Cagle's measure speaks to a larger effort against cash bail reform. Public speakers criticized the county's bail reforms, which they blamed for a rise in violent crime in Houston despite research from an independent court monitor that found no risk of reoffense by those who have been let out on cashless misdemeanor bonds. Alexandra Mealer, a candidate seeking the Republican nomination for county judge, spoke in support of Cagle's proposal, and argued the county is being "overwhelmed by violent crime" due to low or no-cash bonds being issued. While it is true there has been an increase in people out on bond for violent crimes who have been accused of reoffending, there is cur

  A Seattle judge released an accused shoplifter without bail for the second time Wednesday despite his extensive criminal history, including at least 18 felony and misdemeanor convictions since 1985, according to a report.  Judge Melinda Young released John Ray Lomack Wednesday weeks after Judge Kuljinder Dhillon did the same thing after he was arrested for allegedly stealing a 70-inch TV on Dec. 22 from a downtown Seattle Target store, the Jason Rantz radio show in Seattle reported.  A King County prosecutor had argued before Dhillon he should be held on $5,000 bail.  Lomack was banned from the store last year after employees claimed he tried to shoplift nearly two dozen times and racked up $6,000 in stolen property, according to the show.  In his most recent attempt, Lomack grabbed the $600 flat screen using a tool to cut plastic straps securing it to the other TVs, surveillance video of the incident allegedly shows, while store security who recognized him called police, the radio s

  Bailing out a friend with counterfeit money landed two people in jail last week. According to the Auburn Police Department, 39-year-old Angelina Quirion and 33-year-old Adam Jalbert allegedly attempted to bail someone from the Androscoggin County Jail with fake bills. When officers located Quirion and Jalbert they were outside the jail in a vehicle. Both individuals had active bail conditions from previous drug arrests. After searching their vehicle, officers located the following items: 112.3 grams of cocaine base 165.3 grams of cocaine 299.5 grams of fentanyl 492.3 grams of methamphetamines one handgun  As a result of their arrest, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for an apartment in the City of Bangor. When officers searched the apartment they located a significant amount of narcotics: 2 pounds of fentanyl Nearly 2 pounds of methamphetamine Over $30,000 in suspected drug proceeds 2 handguns 1 AR-15 rifle. The suspected street value of the drugs found in the apartment is $

  Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. revoked bail for a Forty Fort man facing allegations he possessed hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse materials but not before admonishing the bail bonds company that posted bail. David J. Fortin, 37, of Snowden Street, was arrested by detectives with Luzerne County and West Hazleton police on Nov. 23 charged with 500 counts of child pornography, 100 counts of dissemination of film of child sex acts and two counts of criminal use of communication facility. Fortin was released from the county correctional facility Jan. 10 when he posted $300,000 bail through ABC Bail Bonds based in Milton. Soon after Fortin’s release, Assistant District Attorney Carly A. Hislop filed a petition to revoke Fortin’s bail alleging violations of bail conditions. In court Thursday, Hislop argued Fortin failed to have a Tamaqua address approved before his release, the residence has internet service and children are or may live at the Tamaqua addres

An 18-year-old arrested in connection to a deadly mass shooting in Austin, Texas, has been released back onto the streets while he awaits trial without having to pay any bail. Jeremiah Tabb, 18, was indicted on a charge of tampering with evidence by disposing of an illegal gun involved in a shooting that killed one person and injured 14 in Austin in June 2021 and was released on a personal bond on January 20, according to KVUE. * * * * Tabb, a gang member who allegedly instigated the shooting and fired at a rival gang member, was indicted in December 2021 for allegedly disposing of the weapon that shooting suspect De’Ondre Jermirris White used in the mass shooting in downtown Austin that killed 25-year-old Douglas Kantor, a Ford Motor Co. employee from Michigan who was in Austin to celebrate earning his master's degree, and left 14 people injured. Sixth Street is the heart of Austin's live music and entertainment scene.  Tabb was initially arrested and charged for aggravated as

  No one appears to have been in charge at Black Lives Matter for months. The address it lists on tax forms is wrong, and the charity's two board members won't say who controls its $60 million bankroll, a Washington Examiner investigation has found. BLM's shocking lack of transparency surrounding its finances and operations raises major legal and ethical red flags, multiple charity experts told the Washington Examiner. "Like a giant ghost ship full of treasure drifting in the night with no captain, no discernible crew, and no clear direction," CharityWatch Executive Director Laurie Styron said of BLM. BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors appointed two activists to serve as the group's senior directors following her resignation in May amid scrutiny over her personal finances. But both quietly announced in September that they never took the jobs due to disagreements with BLM. They told the Washington Examiner they don't know who now leads the social justice organ

Steve Radack, former constable and former commissioner who said Democrats on the commissioners court had “blood on their hands.”  “I never dreamed that after serving 32 years on this court that there would be three members of this court — Hidalgo, Garcia, and Ellis — who would kiss the rears of hardened criminals, who victimize law-abiding citizens, including law enforcement officers,” said Radack. “I’m calling on you three to resign from office so the healing can begin.” To see more CLICK HERE .

  Published January 27, 2022- Attorney at Law Magazine by Ken W. Good The case of  Daves v. Dallas County  in the United State Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit took an unexpected turn on January 7 when the court essentially pulled the rug out from under the plaintiffs’ attorneys arguments on behalf of bail reform. In doing so, it reversed a primary ruling in the key case of  ODonnell v. Harris County , which, in an earlier appeal, held that county court judges could be sued when they either adopted a bail schedule or set bail. The county eventually settled and the trial court entered a consent decree as a result of the ruling. Over the past few years, bail litigation has been launched by activist attorneys throughout Texas. It began in Houston when 16 misdemeanor court judges were sued under 42 USC §1983, with the assertion that the use of a bail schedule in Harris County violated procedural due process. Judge Lee Rosenthal of the U.S. District Court in Houston agreed with the cl

  Published January 27, 2022- Attorney at Law Magazine by Ken W. Good The case of Daves v. Dallas County in the United State Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit took an unexpected turn on January 7 when the court essentially pulled the rug out from under the plaintiffs’ attorneys arguments on behalf of bail reform. In doing so, it reversed a primary ruling in the key case of ODonnell v. Harris County , which, in an earlier appeal, held that county court judges could be sued when they either adopted a bail schedule or set bail. The county eventually settled and the trial court entered a consent decree as a result of the ruling. Over the past few years, bail litigation has been launched by activist attorneys throughout Texas. It began in Houston when 16 misdemeanor court judges were sued under 42 USC §1983, with the assertion that the use of a bail schedule in Harris County violated procedural due process. Judge Lee Rosenthal of the U.S. District Court in Houston agreed with the claim

Podcaster and leftist actor Michael Rappaport put a Rite Aid in Hell’s Kitchen on the map yesterday because he filmed a shoplifter taking merchandise and leaving the store. What did I just witness? Dude went straight shopping pic.twitter.com/0vQRCpGsVv — MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) January 25, 2022 It turns out the store is closing because of all the shoplifting: ‘These criminals know there are no ramifications. We have to put more of these mfers in jail,’ he said. The Rite Aid in the video, on 80th Street and 2nd Avenue, is hit with thefts of the same nature on an almost daily basis, a security guard told Rapaport. The store will be closing on February 15, and 63 other locations will close in the coming months with thefts a major reason, the pharmacy chain announced in late December. ‘You see all these videos on Instagram of people shoplifting like they’re going for a walk in the park. It’s pathetic that this is happening in the greatest city in the world,’ Rapaport said. Well,

  The show is called "Liberal Dan Radio."  You never know what is going to happen when PBT agrees to appear on left leaning shows.  Liberal Dan's tag line is "talk from the left that's right."  A discussion that was supposed to last for 15 minutes turns into an hour long discussion.  Listen to the lively discussion about bail funds and criminal justice reform in general.

  NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Friends and family are mourning the loss of a beloved Lowcountry bail bondsman, Carlos Dunlap Sr. Dunlap died on Saturday night after North Charleston Police said he was hit by a car on Ashley Phosphate Road. Dunlap was a well-known bail bondsman in North Charleston. He started his business, Dunlap Bail Bonding, nearly 30 years ago. Since then, it became a family business he shared with two of his children. “He worked every day, literally Monday through Friday. If he was gone it would be on the weekends to go to my brother’s football games, but other than that he was here,” said Dunlap’s daughter, Bianca. Bianca said her dad did a lot for his community, including hosting a youth football camp with his son Carlos Dunlap Jr., who plays in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks. Bianca said Dunlap wasn’t just a father to her and her two brothers, but also to everyone he came across. “Every one of my friends that I’ve had since I was like 5, have reached out to

Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey says the capital city “is under siege” after spending his entire weekend dealing with the city’s violent crime. Bailey said the city’s crime is an issue that needs to be addressed, stating, “We’ve got to start sending messages that this behavior is not tolerated.” Bailey hopes the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling raising bail amounts for those charged with murder will help keep them behind bars. The high court’s order raises the maximum bail amount for murder charges in the state. Previously, a murder suspect’s bail could be set at $150,000. Now it can go up to $1.5 million. According to Bailey, his office has seen suspects get arrested for murder, bail out of jail, and then go on to commit further crimes, including additional murders. “We have had two murders committed by people already out on bond for murder in the recent past,” Bailey added. So, what is bail? According to the DA’s office, bail allows a suspect awaiting trial to get out

ALBANY — Mayor Adams’ plan to address gun violence in the city following the death of two NYPD officers is dividing Democrats and sparking renewed debate over recently enacted bail reforms. The new mayor called on state lawmakers to amend bail laws to make it easier to prosecute gun crimes and give judges more discretion when setting bail. While willing to sit down with Adams to discuss the issue, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) on Tuesday maintained her stance that reforms “on some level have been working” and called for more time to assess the changes. “We did not just wake up and say, ‘oh we have to tinker with bail.’ We did the reforms because there was a disparity in treatment,” she said. The Democratic-led Legislature approved sweeping changes to New York’s bail laws in 2019, limiting pretrial detention for most nonviolent crimes to make the system more equitable. The overhauls were amended in 2020 to make more serious offenses bail-eligible, such as cri

As Indiana lawmakers move to change the way charitable bail companies operate in Indiana, Indy politics speaks to two sides of the issue, David Gasper, who is the national operations director for The Bail Project and Nikki Sterling, the mother of Dylan McGinnis, who was murdered this past October in Indianapolis by a man bailed out, in part, by The Bail Project. IndyPolitics · The Bail Project There are two interviews listed above.  The first episode is with the Bail Project National Director.  The second interview is with Nikki Sterling regarding her son who was killed by a person released by the Bail Project.