Irvine Police Bail Bonds
Finding out that someone you care for has been arrested can have you feeling as if the wind has been knocked out of you. Most people go their entire lives without ever being asked to help post bail bonds. Suffice to say, if you’ve been asked to help bail a friend or loved one out of jail you likely have lots of questions about how the process works.
The good news is that when you work with a reputable bail bondsman, the process is a lot faster and easier than you might assume. In many cases, you can arrange for bail without ever needing to leave your home or office.
If someone you care for has been arrested by a member of the Irvine Police Department and you’ve learned that they’re being held at the Irvine Jail, we can help.
Call Bail Bond Professionals today to speak with a local, licensed agent. Our company has more than 4 decades of combined experience in helping get people out of the Orange County Jails fast. Call our office now at 800-389-2245 to speak directly with a reputable bondsman.
Why People Need Bail Bonds in Irvine
Irvine is a well-known city within Orange County, and while the community itself is relatively safe, that’s not to say it’s without crime. People get arrested in Irvine, CA for a wide variety of reasons, including misdemeanor crimes, felony crimes, and federal offenses.
The good news is that the process of arranging bail bonds for state and local crimes is quite easy. When you contact a bondsman, they’ll start by gathering some basic information. They’ll want to know approximately when the defendant was arrested (i.e., were they arrested within the past hour, or within the past several days), where they were arrested, the crime they’re being charged with (if you know it), and what their bail amount is.
If you don’t know which jail they’ve been taken to, what their bail is, or the crime they’ve been charged with, that’s OK. We can look that information up for you.
In some cases, if a defendant is charged with a low-level misdemeanor offense, such as being drunk in public, they may not need to post bail bonds. The jail may simply allow them to be released on their own recognizance (OR). When someone is released OR they are being released on a “promise to appear.” The jailer will provide them with a court date and as long as the defendant promises they’ll go to court, they will not need to post bail bonds.
However, defendants who have been charged with more serious offenses, including a wide variety of misdemeanor and felony crimes, will need to post bail bonds if they want to be released from jail before they go to court.
Cost to post bail bonds in Irvine
The cost to purchase bail bonds in Irvine will largely depend on the defendant’s bail amount. In the state of California, you’ll typically need to pay a fee that’s equal to 10%. For example, if your loved one’s bail has been set at $25,000, you can expect to pay $2,500 to hire a bondsman. On the other hand, if their bail has been set at $10,000, the bondsman’s fee will be set at $1,000.
Additionally, you should be highly skeptical of bail bonds agents that advertise 1% or 2% bail bonds. Although many companies rely on this tactic to get clients, it’s little more than deceptive advertising. The 1% and 2% rates do not refer to the total cost of the bond, but instead, it refers to the amount of money you’ll need to put down on a bail bonds payment plan. The full cost, once the bond is paid off, will still be equal to 10%.
It is also worth noting that it is extremely difficult to get approved for a 1% or 2% down bail bond payment plan. Clients that qualify for this option generally need to own a home and have excellent credit.
If you are talking to a bondsman who is offering you a very low down payment on a bail bonds payment plan, be sure to read the fine print. Will they charge you interest or finance fees? How much time will you have to pay off the balance? Will you be able to make equal monthly payments, or will you have two low payments and need to pay the full balance by the end of the third month? Will they tack on processing fees if you make your payment via debit card, credit card, or check? Remember- every bail bonds company is required to charge the same rate, but that’s not to say that each company is like the next. The most important thing is that you hire a company that you feel is honest, experienced, and reputable.
Cash Bail in Irvine
Do you need to hire a bondsman to get someone out of the Irvine Jail? Not necessarily. Although hiring a bondsman is the fastest and easiest way to get someone out of the Irvine Police Department Jail, you are not required to hire a bail bonds company.
A second option for getting someone released from custody is to post cash bail. When you post cash bail, you’ll need to take the defendant’s full bail amount, in cash (or in the form of a cashier’s check) to the jail. The court will hold onto that money and as long as the defendant goes to court and finishes their case, the funds will be returned to whoever posted them (less administrative fees) once the case is over. If the case is complicated, the court may hold onto this money for several years.
You should also know that the jails do not offer a 10% option. If the defendant’s bail has been set at $50,000 and you’d like to post cash bail, you’d need to bring $50,000 to the jail to have them released from custody.
Cash bail is most frequently used when defendants need to post bail but their bail amount is set below $2,500. The biggest difference between cash bail and bail bonds is that while the money you put up to post cash bail will be returned to you as long as the defendant completes their case, the fee you pay to arrange bail bonds is non-refundable. It is considered to be earned by the bondsman, in full, at the time the defendant is released from custody.
Irvine bail bonds application process
When you bail someone out of jail you’ll need to do more than pay the bondsman’s fee. To get the process started you’ll be asked to complete a bail bonds application. Common questions in the bail bonds application include:
- Your full name, address, and date of birth
- Your driver’s license number
- Your social security number
- Your phone number and email address
- The type of work you do
- Your annual income
- Whether you rent or own your home
You’ll also be asked to provide similar information about the defendant. The bondsman may also want to know where the defendant was born, whether they have family that lives in the area, if they have a prior history of arrest, and whether they’re currently out on bond with another company. Lastly, the agent you’re working with may also want to know if you have information surrounding the circumstances under which the defendant was arrested.
Services We Provide for Irvine Bail Bonds
No one expects to find out that a friend or loved one has been arrested. We also understand that there is never a good time to find out that someone you care for has been taken to jail. Below are just a few of the services we provide to our clients:
Free professional advice: Our company has decades of experience in helping people just like you navigate situations just like this. We’re open 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, 365-days a year. When you call our office we’ll be happy to answer your questions and address your concerns. Regardless as to whether you have questions about how bail works, how bail bonds payment plans work, or how long it will take to get your loved one out of jail, we’re here to help.
Flexible bail bond payment plans: The cost to purchase bail bonds may only be 10% of the defendant’s total bail amount, but not everyone can afford to pay that up front, in full. Our company offers a variety of flexible bail bonds payment plans to our clients. We offer payment plans for bail bonds of all sizes, from $20,000 bail bonds to million-dollar bail bonds.
No collateral bail bonds: Some bail bonds companies always require their clients to put up collateral. We do not. We won’t ask you to give us the pink slip to your car and we’re not going to ask that you hand over your family heirlooms. In fact, most of our clients find they’re eligible for no collateral bail bonds. In this case, your signature on the bail bonds application is assurance enough that the defendant will go to jail and finish his or her case.
24-hour service: We understand that people don’t always get arrested during standard business hours. Regardless as to whether you need our help at 7am on a Monday, 2pm on a Saturday, or at 4am on the 4th of July, we’re here to help. Additionally, our company is licensed to post bail bonds at any time, day or night, at every jail in Orange County, CA.
Flexible paperwork options: Do you want to meet with us in person at our office? We can arrange that. Would you prefer to meet at a coffee shop that’s down the street from your office? We can do that too. Whatever works best for you works best for us.
Online bail bonds for fast release: Our company is one of the few Orange County bail bonds companies that offers online bail bonds. With this option, we can walk you through the application over the phone. From there, we’ll send the required bail bonds paperwork directly to your email, and they’ll arrive as an e-sign document. This will allow you to sign the bail bonds paperwork with your fingertip on your smartphone, tablet, or touch-screen computer. You won’t need to print anything out, you won’t need to scan anything, and you won’t need to drive to a store to find a fax machine. When you e-sign your documents we’ll receive them immediately. Most people find this is the fastest, most secure, and easiest way to get someone out of the Irvine Jail.
Things to consider when hiring a bondsman
As we noted earlier, while all California bail bonds companies are required to charge the same rate, that’s not to say that each company is like the next. For example, some companies always require clients to post collateral, other companies do not. Some companies charge interest for bail bonds payment plans, while others do not.
Experience matters
As you start to evaluate possible bondsmen, there are several things you’ll want to look for. First, you’ll want to ask about their experience. Inexperienced bail bonds agents tend to make mistakes, and even the smallest of mistakes can delay the release process by hours. Additionally, hiring an experienced bondsman is especially important if the defendant is being held at a smaller police department jail. Why? Because smaller jails were not designed to hold inmates for an extended period of time, and if the jail is busy, the defendant could be transferred to the Orange County Main Jail.
This is problematic for several reasons.
First, if a defendant is transferred, they’ll need to go through the booking process a second time. The booking time at the Orange County Main Jail often spans between 5-7 hours, depending on how busy the jail is. You should also know that once bail bonds are posted, the defendant will not be released immediately. Much like there is a process to book someone into jail, there is another process to book them out. Consequently, the release time at the OCJ can often take between 5-7 hours.
All in all, if an inexperienced bondsman makes a mistake when posting a bond at a smaller, police department jail, and a defendant gets transferred to the county jail because of that mistake, the bail bonds process could be delayed by 15-24 hours.
Compassion
A second thing to consider when you’re evaluating potential bondsmen is whether you feel comfortable working with them. Do they seem compassionate, caring, and that they truly want to help get you through this difficult time, or, do you get the sense that they’re only interested in getting their hands on your hard-earned cash? If the bondsman you’re talking to gives you a used car salesman vibe, it’s OK to hang up and call someone else.
Prompt service
Just because a bail bonds agent answers their phone 24-hours a day that’s not to say they’ll post bail bonds 24-hours a day. If you need help posting bail bonds at night, on the weekend, or during a holiday period, ask the company you’re speaking with how quickly they can get the bond posted. Again, if you need help getting someone out of jail at 1am, you don’t want to hire a bondsman that has no intention of going to the jail until the following morning. Prompt bail bonds service should be their top priority.
Bail Bonds Professionals You Can Trust
There are hundreds of bail bonds companies in Orange County, California, but there’s a reason we’re the #1 attorney-referred bail agency in the region. Bail Bonds Professionals has more than 40 years of combined experience in helping people just like you get through situations just like this. We’re here to help you regardless as to whether you need us at 7am on a Monday or at 11pm during a holiday weekend. We not only answer our phone 24-hours a day, our team of dedicated, experienced agents is available to post bail bonds at any time, day or night, weekends and holidays included.
For more information on our company, on how bail works, or what you need to do to get your loved one out of the Irvine Jail fast, we can help. Call our office now to speak with a licensed agent.
Do you need help with a bail bonds payment plan? We can help with that too. Our company offers a variety of bail bonds payment plans designed to work within your individual budget. Most of our clients find they’re eligible for no-collateral bail bonds, and if collateral is needed, we won’t ask you to turn over the pink slip to your car.
If your loved one was arrested in Irvine on misdemeanor or felony charges, or if they were arrested on an outstanding warrant, we’re here to help. Call Bail Bonds Professionals now at 800-389-2245 to speak with a professional, experienced, licensed bondsman in your area. If you prefer to call us on our local number, call us at 714-389-2245 to get started.
