Do you know someone who is in legal trouble in Tustin, California, and they need help getting released from jail? If so, Bail Bond Professionals is here to help. Not only can we help get your loved one out of jail fast, we can help you understand how bail works. We’ll also take as much time as needed to answer your questions and address your concerns.

Our agents have decades of experience in working with the Tustin Police Department. We’re knowledgeable, we’re reputable, and have a stellar reputation with jails throughout the region.

Do you need help with Tustin bail bonds? If so, call our office today to learn how we can help.

Getting arrested in Tustin, CA

Tustin is a relatively safe city, but that’s not to say it’s crime free. Even the most law abiding citizens sometimes find themselves in trouble with the law.  Our company has experience in helping people post all types of bail bonds in Tustin, including:

• Assault and battery bail bonds
• Petty theft bail bonds
• Bail bonds for larceny charges
• Vehicle theft bail bonds
• Grand theft auto bail bonds
• Domestic violence bail bonds
• Bail bonds for drug charges
• Bail bonds for white collar crimes
• Bail bonds for gun charges
• Bail bonds for conspiracy charges
• Felony bail bonds
• Misdemeanor bail bonds
• Federal bail bonds
• And many more

When someone is arrested in Tustin they’ll be taken to the Tustin Police Department to be processed. If someone isn’t released from this jail quickly, they’ll be transferred to the Orange County Main Jail after they’ve been booked and processed.

Lots of people ask us if they can post bail bonds right away. Unfortunately, the booking process takes time and no one can be released on bail bonds until that process is complete. Most defendants find they’re in custody anywhere from 5-12 hours from the time they’re arrested until the time they’re released.

The booking process takes several hours, but that’s not to say you shouldn’t call a bondsman right away. When you start the bail bonds process early you’ll help ensure the defendant gets out of jail as quickly as possible. The bondsman you’re working with will contact the jail, let them know that they’re working on the case, and that they'll post the bond as soon as the jail is ready to receive it.

What Happens When Someone Gets Arrested?

When someone is arrested in Tustin, CA they’ll be handcuffed, read their Miranda Rights, and transported to the local jail. In some instances, the booking process will start right away. In other instances, such as when the jail is busy or understaffed, defendants might need to wait an hour, or more, before they start to get booked.

When someone gets booked into jail, they’ll have their fingerprints and mugshots taken. The jailer will also ask them to provide some basic information, such as their name, social security number, address, date of birth, and the type of work they do. The final step in the booking process is the warrant check. Everyone is checked for warrants, regardless as to whether they have a prior criminal history. This holds true even if the defendant is a priest, rabbi, schoolteacher, little league coach, or they’re the president of the PTA.

You’ll also want to keep in mind that no one can post bail bonds until their warrant check is complete. Although some bail bonds companies claim they can expedite the booking process, or that they can expedite the defendant’s release for an added fee, these agents are not being truthful. The jails move on their own timeline- and there is nothing that anyone can do to speed things up.

If the defendant calls you from jail, be sure to get some basic information from them. Ask them when they were arrested, where they were arrested, what they’re being charged with and their bail amount, if they know it. Keep in mind that all outbound calls from the jail are always recorded. Suffice to say, make sure the defendant doesn’t discuss any of the details of their case with you over the phone. Let them know that you’re going to contact a bondsman right away and that you’ll do everything you can to get them out of jail fast.

Beware of Discount Bail Bonds Scams

When you hire a bondsman, you won’t need to pay the defendant’s full bail amount. Instead, you’ll be asked to pay a 10% premium. If bail has been set at $100,000, you can expect to pay $10,000 to purchase a bond.

At this point, you might be wondering about various ads that you might have seen for discount bail bonds, 1% bail bonds, or 5% bail bonds. Why do some companies advertise at a lesser rate? Won’t it be cheaper if you work with them?

Unfortunately, the answer is no.

The cost to purchase bail bonds is set by the California Department of Insurance, which means that all bail bonds companies are required (by law) to charge the same rate.  However, some companies use deceptive advertising as a means of attracting clients.

For example, companies that advertise 1% bail bonds often tell callers that they can do 1% down and continue to make payments on the balance. If bail is set at $20,000, they can pay $200 today and pay the other $1,800 in monthly instalments. These companies also don’t tell people that to get approved for 1% bail bonds, that the caller will need to own a home and/or have excellent credit. In some instances, they don’t tell their clients that $200 isn’t the total cost, and that they’ll still need to pay the remaining $1,800. Then, a month later, they find their credit card was set up for an auto bill, and they’ve been charged $400, $500, or more. This can be extremely distressing for all of the obvious reasons.

We’ve heard of this happening to people on more than one occasion. At Bail Bond Professionals, we offer flexible, convenient bail bonds payment plans to those who qualify. We don’t charge interest, we’ll never charge you for a credit check fee, and we don’t tack on financing charges. The rate we quote you is the rate you can expect to pay.

What you need to know about bail bonds collateral

One of the first things that people often ask us relates to bail bonds collateral. Do they need to put up collateral before they can arrange bail bonds? What happens if they don’t have collateral? What types of collateral will we accept?

The first thing you should know is that most of our clients find they’re eligible for no collateral bail bonds. If the defendant lives locally, they have ties to the community, and their bail has been set at less than $100,000, we might be able to assist you with no collateral bail bonds. On the other hand, if bail has been set at over $100,000, collateral might be needed.

Can you put up your car as collateral on a $100,000 bail bond? Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no. The collateral you post will need to be equal to, or exceed, the value of the bond. As such, our company mostly deals with property collateral. In this case, we’d need to work with a signer who is willing to put up their house or condo.

If property collateral is needed, we’ll ask for the address of the home, what the home is worth, and how much is owed on the property. If we learn the home has sufficient equity, that home can be used as collateral. To put a house up, we’ll need to meet with you in person.  In addition to signing the bail bonds documents, you’ll also be asked to sign a deed of trust. This will allow our company to put a lien against the property. We will release the lien after two things happen. First, the defendant needs to go to court and finish their case. Second, if you signed up for a bail bonds payment plan, the balance of what you owe will need to be paid off. Once these two things happen, the lien will be removed from your property. In most cases, this happens within 7 business days.

How much does it cost to get bail bonds in Tustin?

The cost to purchase bail bonds can vary based on several factors, such as the crime the defendant has been charged with, whether they have a prior history of arrest, and whether they have outstanding warrants.

For example, if someone is arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence, their bail will likely be set at $25,000. This is a very common bail amount for this type of charge. On the other hand, if they’re charged with felony domestic violence, bail will likely be set at $50,000. Since the cost to purchase bail bonds is 10%, bail bonds for misdemeanor DV charges often cost $2,500, whereas bail bonds for felony charges often cost $5,000.

If the defendant has a prior history of arrest, their bail amount might be higher. This would increase the cost of their bail bond. Lastly, if the defendant has one or more outstanding warrants, each of those warrants will have their own bail amount. If a defendant is charged with misdemeanor DV and has a $25,000 bail, but they have one warrant with a $10,000 bail amount, and another with a $15,000 bail amount, their total bail amount will be $50,000.

We understand that determining how much it will cost to hire a bondsman can be confusing. For more information about how the process works, how much the defendant’s bail is, and whether you’ll be eligible for a bail bonds payment plan, call our office today to speak with an expert.

When should I not post bail bonds?

When you cosign for bail bonds, you’re taking full legal responsibility for two things. First, you’re agreeing to pay a 10% premium to the bondsman, and you acknowledge that this fee is non-refundable, no matter what happens with the defendant’s case. Second, you’re taking full legal responsibility that they’ll go to court, as often as needed, to finish their case. You’re also acknowledging that if the defendant skips bail (aka, makes a run for it) because they want to evade prosecution, that you could find yourself on the hook to pay their full bail amount to the court as a penalty. Also, if the bondsman needs to hire a fugitive recovery agent to locate them, you’ll also be liable to pay for that expense.

Hiring a fugitive recovery agent isn’t cheap, and it often costs thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars.

Agreeing to cosign for bail bonds is a big responsibility, and it’s not one that should be taken lightly. Consequently, there are certain instances where you shouldn’t sign for someone. You should not cosign for bail bonds if:

• The defendant is someone you just met
• The defendant is someone you don’t know very well
• The defendant is someone you haven’t spoken to in months or years
• The defendant is unemployed and couch surfing, or they’re unemployed and crashing with various friends who live in various states

There are also occasions in which you should help someone arrange bail bonds. Examples include the following:

• The defendant is a close friend, relative, adult child, spouse, or neighbor that you spend a lot of time with
• The defendant is responsible, reliable, and you think they’ll go to court

What happens during the bail bond application process?

When you call our office, we’ll start by asking you several questions about the defendant. We’ll want to ask how you know them, how well you know them, and if you think they’ll go to court and finish their case. We’ll also ask for other information, such as their full name, date of birth, where they live, their driver’s license number and social security number (if you know it, it’s OK if you don’t), if they rent or own their home, if they’re currently employed and if yes, the type of work they do, and whether they have family that lives in the area.

We’ll also ask for you to provide similar information about yourself, and whether you have any information about the circumstances surrounding the defendant’s arrest.

From there, you’ll need to sign the bail bonds contact. This can be done in one of several ways: you can come to our office, we can come to you, or you can opt for online bail bonds. With online bail bonds, we can fax you the documents, email you the documents (as a PDF attachment), or we can even send you e-sign documents. In most cases, we’ll already have all of the information that we need, so you’ll simply need to sign the bail bonds contract and get that back to us. If we’re working with you remotely, we’ll also ask for you to send us a photo of your ID. This is for identity verification purposes and it’s for your protection as much as it is for ours.

We’ll also work with you to finalize payment arrangements. Will you be paying in full with a credit or debit card, or will you need a bail bonds payment plan? If you do opt for a bail bonds payment plan, how much can you afford to put down, and how much can you afford to pay per month?

After the paperwork is signed and payment arrangements have been made, we’ll start preparing the defendant’s bail bond. An agent will be dispatched to the jail as soon as the defendant is done being booked.

In closing

Finding out that someone you care for has been arrested can be one of the most stressful things you’ll ever experience. It’s natural to feel anxious, confused, and worried. Working with a professional bondsman can help alleviate some of that stress.

Most of the people who call our office have never needed to arrange bail bonds before, so you can trust us when we tell you that we have decades of experience in helping people like you get through situations just like this.

Regardless as to whether you need help at 8am on a Monday or 3am on Thanksgiving, our agents are standing by. Bail Bond Professionals also provides free round-the-clock, bail bonds consultations at any time, day or night, weekends and holidays included.

If you’re ready to move forward and you’d like to start the process immediately, we can help you with that. Or, if you’d prefer to take a step back, gather your thoughts, and call us back later? That’s OK too. Our agents will never try to press you into doing something you’re not ready to do. We don’t believe in using high-pressure sales tactics. Instead, it’s our job to provide you with as much information as you need so that you can make the best and most informed decision.

Do you need help getting someone out of the Tustin Police Department Jail, or do you have questions about how bail works? Call our office today to speak with an expert.