CBAA Convention 10-2013

CBAA, California Bail Agents Association, held their convention on the Queen Mary cruise ship in Long Beach, CA on 10/6 through 10/8.

I attended and also participated by giving a short presentation on "Old School Bail Bonding Techniques" with a side line on "Image and Attitude"...

The following are a few pics from that meeting.



The RMS Queen Mary is docked permanently in Long Beach, CA... made into a floating hotel with all the amenities... it is very historical and stylish and provided a very grand backdrop for their convention.



The food was great, the accommodations were great, the meeting were informative and the crew could not have been more friendly and responsive to our needs





Meetings were held in what I think was the central ballroom area of the ship, spacious and very comfortable



The ship is over 1000' long and the hallways for the cabins were quite extensive... with many levels and hundreds of rooms.



Tony, his wife Droslyn and myself on the sun deck



Lots of stuff to look at... this was a very historical trip and I really had a great time.



Studying my little presentation, up early trying to make sure I didn't screw it up any more than I usually do... I think it went ok.... you'll have to ask others there for their opinions...



Tony Suggs, giving his presentation on "Interviews and Interrogations"



... and my presentation on "Image and Attitudes" with "Old School Bonding Techniques"... the latter was cut short by about 20 minutes which stole whatever thunder I may have had... but that was ok... I think I provided a little side line to the convention. I enjoyed it and of course got a nice 3 day trip out of the deal.

A few more pics to follow...

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

A few more pics...

Check the nabbi.org website... more to follow will have some pictures and a short story line also...



Amazing view of one of the four propellers on the ship... to give you a perspective... those blades are over 7' tall... I toured the ship and it was simply amazing...



Tables were set for a king and the food was really great... this old Virginia redneck truck driver was a bit out of my element, but as I sometimes say... "I did... "endeavor to persevere"



The promenade deck... again, the ship is over 1000' long.... keep in mind that she was built in the early 1930's and sailed the North Atlantic from 1936 to the late 1960's and carried troops back and forth to Europe during WWII.



The front portion of the ship, note the Anti-Aircraft gun... from when she sailed troops to Europe during WWII...
very interesting.............



Check out the bathroom... or "head" in ships parlance.... most all on this ship is old stuff that has been upgraded, but much is left as it was.... which makes this even more interesting.



My little "porthole" to the world...



View of the Pacific Ocean as we flew to LAX... California mountains on the east side of the state... you can see a lot on a clear day at 36,000'...

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

There were several, lets say "old time bail agents" in the audience during Bill's Presentation. I was up front so I could get some pictures and just in case Bill needed to pick on someone.

The Boss was in the back and was watching everyone response to Bill. The old timers were all shaking their heads in agreement when Bill made several points about attitude and image.

I also occasionally turned around to watch for reactions and too saw that many people were agreeing on key points that Bill made.

Always proud if our crew here and peer acknowledgement is even better.

scott

_________________
R.E. "Scott" MacLean III

"Leaders are like Eagles, you never see them in a flock, but one at a time"

Chesapeake Group Investigations, Inc.
Chesapeake Bail Bonds
877-574-0500
301-392-1100 (fax)
301-392-1900 (Office)

As it seems to be expected at the CBAA conferences lately, there were a few internal fireworks, plus the usual program glitches.

Registration was about 100. There were 7 vendors present also.

Over all, it was a good conference with lots of interesting presentations.

The only negative was the price of the "liquid refreshments."

2013 CBAA Convention Review

It took me several days to put this together, hope it can give you a sense of the business not only in California but throughout the Nation.
On October 6, I had the privilege of attending a conference of the California Bail Agents Association, CBAA, which was held in Long Beach California aboard the cruise ship, Queen Mary.

In July of this year I had attended a conference for NABBI, the National Association of Bail Bond Investigators, which was also held in Long Beach. In attendance at that conference were several members of the CBAA and the PBUS organizations and apparently they felt the message that I had presented to the NABBI folks was one that needed to be presented to the CBAA.

Well, since they graciously offered to pay my way plus expenses, what could I say? I must say that I was a little curious that the CBAA, what I considered to be a very sophisticated and educated group of bondsmen, would want an old Virginia redneck bondsman from the very rural south, to come out and give a few tips to such a group as they represented.

But, I went and had a good time and thought I would present a few thoughts related to my visit and the conference… as relates to our industry.

I had a number of interesting discussions over the course of the 3 day event. I talked with some very “big guns” in our industry and also a few that were just getting started and also a few that, let’s just say, did not particularly impress me with their ethics and MO’s. I actually tried to keep my mouth shut and listen and I got a real eye opener in the process.

The first one concerned the size of the average bond in California… they tend to be rather large, in fact, one bondsman had just closed a 1.2m… yes million… for 8%... that computes to 96k premium… and it would appear that some bondmen are writing for much less than the prescribed premium… in fact, I was told by several well connected bondsmen that 8% is the high end and some are writing for much less, even down as low as 1 or 2%. The thought here is that “some money is better than no money” regardless of what is ethical or legal or complaint.

I was also told that there are some bondsmen that are having defendants released WITHOUT ANY MONEY AND NO INDEMNITORS and also, no pictures taken or information collected upon release other than names and addresses… then the bondsman would go to the family and try and shake down the families for the premium or threaten to lock up the defendant that they had just released.

I asked the question during my presentation… “How many licensed bondmen are in California” and the answer was “more than 4000”. The next question I asked was “How many are members of either CBAA or PBUS” and the answer was probably less than 300 total between the two.

CBAA, I was told, has probably less than 150 active/paid members, now if that is incorrect, I would appreciate someone in the know sending me the correct figure because that was presented to me by one of the officers of the association. Those are very telling numbers and simply reflect the facts of what this industry is becoming in a rather quick fashion.

“I may be preaching to the choir here but…………….”

I can only present the following thoughts… We as bondsmen, as private investigators or in whatever capacity we may be involved in related to this industry… strive, for the most part, to be compliant and honest in our business practices.

At least those that I am associated with strive for that level of professionalism. It is extremely disheartening to see and hear stories and facts that reflect the low level of honesty and professionalism that seems to permeate this business.

So before I offer more thoughts, you all just tell me… what is the answer to this question… it is very similar to what is happening in our country, politically and IMHO neither has an easy answer, if any.

I’d like to hear what the rank and file on this site have to offer… I am quite ‘gloomy’ and believe that as long as there is quick, easy money to be made and as long as the sureties are willing to accept this sort of behavior… since they are only interested in their cut… and that is a fact… yep, as long as these stats are in the forefront… I really don’t think it will correct. No regulatory agencies are willing to step up and no sureties are willing to correct it and as long as those agents that are doing this do not get caught… nothing will change…

Well, for what it is worth… I may go broke but I will continue to make a conscious effort to maintain my integrity and character and preach to the choir… and the rest can frankly, just go to H.

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

Bill,

Deb and I have been trying to tell you this, or explain it in a way that you could get the full scope and appreciation of it, for a long time now. I guess you had to be immersed in it for it to sink in. It is a different world out here...and that statement, as well as what you heard and saw at the CBAA show, really does not give you the full impact, either. The environments that many from this forum, and NABBI, work in would be a dream for a California bail agent! Especially, a SOUTHERN California bail agent. It is, indeed, a jungle out here.

_________________
Tom Duprey
Founding member, NABBI (Nat'l Assoc. of Bail Bond Inv.)
Ca. Bail Agent Lic#1845795
Owner/Operator, Thomas Duprey Bail Bonds
Owner/Operator, Orange County Bounty
(714) 727-4689

Tom, the thing is... this is not unique to California... it is a National disgrace and problem and a symptom during a time in not only the bail bond or recovery business but our overall path...

California seems to have an abundance of the problem, I suppose due in part to the larger population and also the rather liberal views on many things that tend to lend to the criminal elements.... drugs, money, illegals... but that is my take on the problem... it seems is a bit more visible... members of this industry will continue to seek the easy road... and with the many pitfalls and differences in compliance laws and regulations between states... these things, IMHO, all lend to the problems.

I am not smart enough to know the answers or cures but most anyone with some sense should be able to see the problems.

Newbies seeking the easy and short road is probably the single most contributing factor.... and then of course is the lack of character and ethics that many tend to have.... and that's about all I have to contribute to this thread.... it tires me out and frankly, I cannot worry about things I cannot change, regardless of how hard I try.

I found it rather curious that some members of this industry that were present at the NABBI convention and voiced such a strong interest in compliance and correcting our problems failed to make it to the CBAA... that, regardless of the reasons, was a very telling action and adds to the overall complacency of the problems... you can't fix anything if you sit on the sidelines and complain... that irritates me as much as the illegalities taking place.

I did enjoy my stay and the meeting with the California bail association... they have their hands full, good luck to all.

I am done with this one.

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

I am a California Bail Agent. I am not a member of CBAA, I have to augment my income with other (side) jobs as I don’t make enough just writing bond to survive. I think CBAA is a fine organization, I just don’t have the money to join. Would have loved to have attended the convention but it just wasn't feasible this year. It sounds like we are one of the few CA agencies that still charge what we are supposed to, rarely do we drop below 10% but we have been known to, just to get the bond. We do give a small veterans discount if push comes to shove. We would be considered to be a mom and pop compared to the bigger company’s like Aladdin. We have found we really can’t compete with them. We’re still in there slugging but it’s getting harder and harder.
I am enjoying living through you vicariously. Thank you for posting the pictures and your monologue.

Bill and all,

I am sure I will offend a few bail agents with the following. It is however an attempt to explain the apathy in the bail profession, which most still call it an "industry."

( I think most bail agents are afraid to call it an profession because then we would all have to be professional. It would require more education or certifications. )

The reason you were invited to speak at the conference was to provide a different way of "teaching" ethics and professionalism to the attendees. You brought attention to a problem by coming at it from a different perspective, that of a small town bail bondsman.

Even the rural bail agents in CA are or at least they think they are "sophisticated" and already know everything.

Lets face it, (here comes the insults) bail is not rocket science. It does not require any education other than taking a class and passing a test. So, we have plenty of people that can function as bail agents but are otherwise dumb as a rock.

When it comes to ethics, professional attitude and appearance or even basic customer service skills, the vast majority of bail agents are clueless.

Like you pointed out, many newer agents are driven by the idea of quick, easy money. Since there is, or they think there is a lot of crime, bail bondsmen most be all getting rich.

When they find out it isn't so, they resort to undercutting each other. Fighting over bonds. Soliciting outside the courts and jails. Paying inmates to force others to call their company. Posting bonds on inmates they have not even talked with, let alone have a contract with.

Not to brag but, I like it when bail agents with 20 or 30 years of experience call me for help on how to do something. It is like once they got their bail license, they knew it all and did not have to learn any more.

My stepson is a perfect example of that mentality. Instead of continuing to learn about bail, court procedures, police procedures, etc, if he doesn't know something he comes and asks me.

Well, my usual answer to a question from him now is, "Figure it out for yourself." I had to.

(More insults) The vast majority want someone else to handle the legislative and legal problems that face surety bail. But when it comes to joining an association and actually being active, they neither have the time or money to commit.

IF I told you how much money out of my own pocket I have spent on NABBI, PBUS and CBAA, you all would think I am crazy. The Boss knows I am crazy.

I have not written a $1.2 million bond and probably never will. We are not a rich bail agency by no means what so ever. I am lucky to have a spouse with a good paying day job that covers us when times are slow.

I can also "retire" and live off her anytime I want.

The biggest problem with many bail associations is having to deal with the egos of some of the leadership. Just look at who is running for president of the PBUS this coming February. That is the perfect example of an very over inflated ego.

The next biggest issue is the surety companies that are only concerned with their bottom line. We all know agents that should not be writing bail. But as long as they bring in the dollars to the sureties, they don't care how they operate.

States like California are not aggressive in their enforcement of the bail statutes. Not enough resources for such a small part of the insurance business is their excuse.

Things will continue along until we reach the point where the government takes over and like the 4 states that are not surety bail states.

In my opinion, it is not a matter of will it happen but, just a matter of when it will.