The Professional Bondsmen of Texas- Blog

  A new ballot measure proposal, which, if approved by voters, would dramatically change the criminal justice system in the state of Oregon. The goal of the measure is to put an end to what many describe as Oregon’s “catch and release” system, where suspected criminals are immediately released before trial and then never show up. The sponsors are confident that Oregon voters will support it if given the chance. It is just the latest example of a criminal justice system that many say has grown increasingly dysfunctional. An accused hit-and-run driver on Highway 26, was later arrested for attempted murder, only to be released pretrial by a judge, over the strong objections of the prosecution and the victim’s family. They said he’d never honor his promise to appear. And they were right. He is now at large, and Oregon lawmaker Kevin Mannix says cases like these have to stop. To see more CLICK HERE .

What are "food desserts" and why are they getting larger in our urban centers?  A food dessert is a area in an urban city where food retailers are not readily accessible.  Why are food desserts growing? In the early 1990s a survey of city shoppers found that more than half left the city at least once a month to shop at stores not available in the five boroughs. Large swaths of the city, including Harlem, home to 100,000 residents, lacked a local supermarket. Crime was bad enough to sink promising ventures, including U.S. Athletics, a 13-store footwear chain that closed its outlets in the city after suffering some 1,000 shoplifting incidents. In a 1989 survey conducted by Interface, one-fifth of businesses reported having lost sales because of crime. The key to the comeback was the restoration of order, beginning with the declines in crime that characterized the mayoral administration of Rudolph Giuliani and continued into the administration of Michael Bloomberg. Those gains u...

Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday unveiled a jam-packed agenda for the upcoming special legislative session, calling on lawmakers to redraw Texas’ congressional maps and address several unfinished conservative priorities from earlier this year. The governor, who controls the agenda for overtime legislative sessions, also included four items related to the deadly Hill Country floods over the July Fourth weekend, directing legislators to look at flood warning systems, emergency communications, natural disaster preparation and relief funding for impacted areas. The flooding has killed more than 100 people, with more than 160 still missing in Kerr County alone. Abbott’s call also includes redrawing the state’s congressional districts — following through on a demand from President Donald Trump’s advisers . . . To read more CLICK HERE . To see Governor Abbott's Proclamation CLICK HERE . .

Ricky Lane Wade, born April 16, 1953, in Shelbyville, Kentucky, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2025, in Dallas, Texas. He was 72.   Ricky was the son of Vernon Wade and Mary Tipton (Harper), and a proud graduate of Shelbyville High School. He built a long and respected career in the bail bonds industry, working to establish both A Way-Out Bail Bonds and Just Bail Bonds. His commitment to his profession led him to become an active member of the Professional Bondsmen of Texas, where he was known for his unwavering honesty and bold personality—Ricky never had a filter and never backed down from speaking the truth. He is survived by his devoted wife, Jeanie Wade; two beloved stepdaughters, Crystal Padgett and Jennifer Beck; grandchildren Brett Estrada and wife Layla, Jezzica Polk and husband Brendan, Evan Beck, and Parker Beck; and one cherished great-granddaughter, Aurora Estrada; and nephew Kyle Tipton and wife Carolyn. Ricky also leaves behind his brothers Greg Tipton and Ve...

With much sorrow, we announce the death of a member of the PBT family and the bail community.  PBT Boardmember Charlie Pickens has died!  Charlie was a very important member of the bail industry.  Charlie along with Justin from his office were instrumental in designing and developing the PBT Call to Action and Click to Dial System that PBT currently uses at the Texas Legislature.  In the last couple of years, Charlie and Justin redesigned the system to allow PBT to offer it to other states to use to assist them before their legislatures.   Charlie is also a member of the PBT-PR Committee and was a part of the team that developed the PBT podcast "The Bail Post" which is regularly ranked as one of the best Criminal Justice Podcasts.  Charlie designed the artwork that is currently being used for the podcast.  Also, as a member of the PR Committee he and Justin were instrumental in developing tools to allow for the analysis of large amounts of data to...

  What A Federal Kidnapping Case Means For Recovery Agents by Ken W. Good (This article originally appeared in Law 360)  was published on March 7, 2025) Stephanie Plum, the fictional bounty hunter in Janet Evanovich's popular book series, often turns her misadventures into comedy. But in real life, the business of tracking down fugitives is no laughing matter. Wayne Lozier, a licensed recovery agent — colloquially referred to as a "bounty hunter" — from Louisiana, found himself facing federal kidnapping charges after apprehending a defendant who had skipped court. Despite working under a lawful contract with a bail bondsman and with a valid warrant, Lozier's actions led to a 10-year prison sentence, until a December decision in U.S. v. Lozier in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed the ruling and ordered a new trial. This case raises pressing questions for attorneys giving advice about the risks surrounding fugitive recovery and the balance betwee...

The Untold Story- Selling Out Public Safety One District Attorney at a Time By Eric Granof History is full of examples where good intentions paved the way to disastrous outcomes.  Today, we are witnessing another such moment -- a social experiment in criminal justice reform that has unleashed unforeseen consequences on our urban communities. This experiment was built on two flawed premises.  The first was that bail is unnecessary and people would voluntarily appear in court without financial incentives.  The second was that “soft-on-crime” policies would not lead to increased criminal activity.  Both assumptions have proven catastrophically wrong, but the damage has already been done. A group of individuals advocating bail reform -- and criminal justice reform in general -- established a network of groups to push a series of initiatives.  It was funded by a small number of extremely deep-pocketed foundations and wealthy billionaires.  Among them, the Open S...

Multnomah County, Soft on Crime, District Attorney Mike Schmidt, who was voted out of office on Election Day, petitioned an Oregon judge on Monday to reconsider the sentences of eight individuals – which could result in reduced charges and see the convicts freed from prison.     “These have all the appearance of a last-minute giveaway,” Multnomah County District Attorney-elect Nathan Vasquez, the Republican-turned-independent who defeated Schmidt, told the outlet.  “They’re extremely violent individuals who have committed horrible crimes, and they’re being given some kind of a break,” added Vasquez, who starts his term on Jan. 6.  Frank Swopes, Jr. Frank Swopes Jr., who was convicted of felony murder for the death of 75-year-old Jean Stevenson during a December 1993 home invasion, is among the violent offenders Schmidt is seeking to free.  Swopes Jr., 62, went on to commit another violent crime just a week after his accomplice killed Stevenson by pushing he...

  In his first two days in office, new Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has rolled back on progressive policies backed by former district attorney George Gascón. “I’ll be prioritizing public safety while ensuring real and effective criminal justice reform,” Hochman said in a recent interview with Annenberg Media. “I believe you can do both at the same time.” Hochman’s first changes expanded the power of L.A. County prosecutors to enforce harsher sentences for crimes. This included dismantling Gascón’s Proposition 47, which stated that certain non-violent offenses, including stealing merchandise under the value of $950, would be reclassified as misdemeanors rather than felonies. Hochman backed Proposition 36, which passed into law on November 5. This legislation aimed to reinforce strict penalties for repeat offenders, specifically in regard to theft and drug-related crimes. Gascón’s restrictions on applying gang-related sentence enhancements . . . To see more CLI...

Bail reform failure keeps all of NY in danger by New York State Senator Tom O'Mara October 24, 2024 It was just over a year ago, shortly after the enactment of a state budget that paid Albany Democrat lip service to the need to end New Y rk’s failed and dangerous bail reform experiment, when Gov. Kathy Hochul declared, “We are done with bail. We accomplished what we needed to do.” Since then, it sure has looked like the governor meant what she said. She and the Legislature’s Democrat majorities have done nothing to fix a continually failing and exceedingly dangerous law that they put in place and that has turned the criminal justice system in this state upside down.  The latest exhibit of their failure comes out of Western New York in Allegany County, where I represent a portion of the eastern half of the county. Recently, following a year-long investigation and surveillance operation of an illegal drug operation in a former factory in the small town of Cuba, local and state law en...

Wednesday: April 10 - 12 is the PBT 8th Annual Spring Fling.  Festivities will begin on Wednesday with the Annual PBT Golf tournament.  Additionally, as teams are playing golf, another PBT team will be preparing a feast for Wednesday evening.  Late Wednesday afternoon PBT will celebrate the victors of the golf tournament with its annual cook out dinner.  This is a great time to mingle with other bondsmen, our lobbyists and our surety partners as we have fun celebrating all things Texas. Additionally, PBT invites local law enforcement members to join in the fun. This year, Wednesday evening will see a new element to the celebration.  PBT is sponsoring its first ever steak cook off  competition.  PBT currently has thirteen entries who are willing to put their reputations on the line to find out who can cook the best steak as selected by our blue ribbon panel of judges.  The cooks will be performing under the harsh lights (and harsh jokes) of all the...

  Marcus Dudley Jr. Tuscola, Texas Catheryn Johnson E-Z Out Bail Bonds Granbury, Texas  Debbie Crocker EZ Bail Bonds Harker Heights, Texas  Lisa Degeyter Lisas 007 Bail Bonds Lampasas, Texas   Michael Edwards Smoking Gun Bail Bonds Belton, Texas  John Curry Haltom City, Texas  Edward Dees III Fast Action Bonding Dallas. Texas  Cherie Lincoln Vaughn's Cowtown Bail Bonds Cleburne, Texas  Michelle Turner Fort Bend County  Richmond, Texas  Vanessa Lopez Fort Bend County Richmond, Texas  Sara Rosas Fort Bend County Richmond, Texas  Chase Konnecke Freedom Bail Bonds Amarillo, Texas  Sherian Coleman North Texas Bailbonds Sherman, Texas  Charles R. Cantu Jr. Skipper Bail Bonding Service Sinton, Texas  Anthony Benitez Houston, Texas  Michael Singletary Austin, Texas  Sharon McCleveland Set'em Free Bail Bonds Houston, Texas  Sandra Stephenson Bulldog Bai...

DCJ Study A new study of bail reform outside New York City — suburbs and upstate — prepared by John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Data Collaborative for Justice shows that 66% of the people released under bail reform who had a recent prior arrest were re-arrested within two years of their release. The DCJ study also showed that 67% of defendants who had a recent prior violent felony arrest in the past year who were released under bail reform were re-arrested within two years of their arraignment. Almost half — 49% — were rearrested for a felony.  The fact that a study shows that people who have committed crimes tend to continue to commit more crimes is not really surprising. My analysis of bail reform published by the Manhattan Institute in August of 2022 showed NYC re-arrest rates of close to 70% for people with prior records charged with larceny, burglary, robbery, and criminal contempt while their case was pending. But DCJ is no conservative think tank. On the contrary, they...

  The July 2023 Newsletter for the Professional Bondsmen of Texas has been released.  In this edition of the Newsletter help us celebrate the fact that the PBT podcast has been ranked in the top ten 60 best criminal justice podcasts. Additionally, there are articles reporting on the most recent Texas legislative session, the upcoming PBUS mid-year conference, and the latest podcast from The Bail Post regarding new roll backs of the New York bail reform law. To learn more CLICK HERE . To find more information regarding Bail Reform/Criminal Justice Reform issues visit our Bail 101 page by  CLICKING HERE .

The upcoming mid year Summer Conference for PBUS will be held from July 30, 2023 to August 2, 2023 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.  The conference will include a presentation from PBT regarding its brand new "Call to Action" System that was designed by PBT board member Charlie Pickens and his programmer Justin Draper. A Call to Action system is something that you hope that you will not need when you are dealing with your local legislature.  It is a system that allows your membership to send emails to your representatives and senators asking them to oppose a bill pending before any group whether it be a committee, the House or the Senate of the Legisalture.   PBT has used some form of a call to action system for mutiple sessions.  Initially, PBT designed such pages by hand.  It would take at least 24 hours to program.  Since the system relied heavily on individual programming, there was a high chance of errors being embedded into the system at the very moment th...

  The 2023 Regular Session has ended and we are currently in the Second Special Session.  The Governor has said that he plans to call a series of special sessions to address a host of issues.  Currently, the Texas legislature appears to be deadlocked regarding a plan to implement property tax relief. When the regular session began, the PBT legislative committee was implementing a new bill review process.  Since the last regular session Glenn Strickland passed away and Glenn had been in charge of reviewing all the bills filed to select bills to be tracked.  Therefore, new people were recruited and a new system had to be worked out to review bills once they were filed.  From there, bills that could impact the bail industry or the criminal justict system are identified.  From there, the PBT Legislative Committee chair determines which bills will be tracked by the committee.  Therefore, the committee was tracking over 50 bills during the legislative s...

  The Professional Bondsmen of Texas, an association, was established in 1970 as the Texas Association of Professional Sureties to support and assist bondsmen in the advancement of their business. In 1978, the name was changed to the Professional Bondsmen of Texas. For over thirty years the membership, comprised of men and women in the bail bond business, have worked diligently to protect the eighth amendment and the American Constitution Bail Provisions.  Additionally, the right to a surety bond is the only release mechanism that is constitutionally protected by the Texas Constitution.  This means that while other forms of release can be restricted by the Texas Legislature, the use of surety bonds cannot be prohibited in Texas without a constitutional amendment passed by Texas voters. Join us in welcoming our newest members and renewing members: Blanca Lozano-Leyva Outlaw Bail Bonds 114 N. Concho Avenue Sonora, TX 76950 Counties: Crockett, Edwards, Kimble 325-387-3367 ou...