You may have heard of the concept or read about it in a book; but how much do you really know about bail bondsmen and how they work? If you’re like most people, then the answer is probably “not very much” – that is, of course, until you’re asked to work with a bail bondsman on behalf of a loved one who suddenly finds himself in trouble with the law.
As an experienced bail bondsman in Rockville, Maryland who has helped countless clients with their legal predicaments, Don McKay, the owner of McKay Bail Bonds, is often asked how he got into the business in the first place and what training he went through to be able to do what he does. According to McKay, being a good bail bondsman is all about experience and knowing the system. There is very little training involved in becoming a bail bondsman. To do the job, a person will need to obtain the proper licenses, take a course, and pass an exam. Obviously, a person will need to understand how bail bonds work in order to become a professional bondsman; but according to McKay, the same holds true for basically any job.
So then how does a person go from taking a course to being a good bail bondsman? According to McKay, it’s definitely a learning process, and there’s no question that there are certain risks involved in his line of work. On the other hand, McKay feels that he is providing an important service to the people of Rockville, Maryland.
When a person is arrested and needs to come up with bail money to avoid spending extra time in prison, he generally will not have many options. After all, most folks don’t have large sums of cash lying around, and in today’s economy, many who may have previously been able to turn around and empty their bank accounts no longer have those funds available. Therefore, a person faced with the prospect of coming up with bail money will need to find some way to secure a loan in order to fund his release from prison as quickly as possible.
Sure, someone in this type of situation could try turning to a bank, but most bank loans don’t get approved overnight – not to mention the fact that a bank might not consider someone in prison to be a desirable candidate for a loan.
This is precisely why a bail bondsman can come in so handy. Whereas a bank is likely to turn someone away because he is specifically looking for bail money, a bail bondsman’s job is to work with people who are stuck in prison until they are able to come up with the cash to fund their releases. When a person approaches McKay on behalf of a loved one, McKay is often able to work his magic to secure a release within the day. In fact, part of being a bail bondsman involves being on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week – how’s that for dedication?
Of course, you may be wondering how bail bondsmen like McKay are able to do what they do. According to McKay, a bail bondsman will generally have a standing arrangement with a local court that enables him to post an “IOU” of sorts. If the person for whom the bond is being posted fails to show up for court, then McKay will end up owing the court the full amount of the bond. Most bail bondsmen like McKay have lines of credit with banks, insurance companies, or other providers to facilitate cash flow in situations like these.
However, this isn’t to say that a bail bondsman won’t end up taking a loss if a person he bails out fails to appear for trial. According to McKay, not only will the bail bondsman have to pay the bond amount in full when this happens, but he’ll also probably have to pay interest. For this reason, a bail bondsman will sometimes have no choice but to work with a bounty hunter in order to track down a person who fails to keep his end of the bargain by showing up at court. Additionally, if a client does not show up for his scheduled court date, then a bail bondsman can sue him for monetary damages to recoup the fees plus interest he had to pay on the client’s behalf.
Clearly, it takes a certain type of person to be willing to put up with the demands of the bail bondsman role. A bail bondsman needs to be smart, patient, responsive, and tough when necessary. However, as challenging as the job can be, McKay says that he actually enjoys what he does; and despite his sometimes rough exterior, he gets real pleasure in helping people in difficult situations.
