I love the fact that there are people on here who seem to know everything about each individual aspect of each individual district in the country...
For example, here in Louisville (Jefferson County), KY, there is NO such thing as a "bail bondsman". For that matter, there is no such animal in the entire state. Let me walk you through the arrest/booking/release steps that we go through here in Louisville. Oh, and I'd like to the court of THR to accept me as an expert witness in this field. My qualifications are 4.5 years of working in the local jail, and almost two years of that time has been spent dealing with booking people in, and releasing them. So, do I qualify as an expert witness (or am I just another JBT?)
So, you're driving along, and get pooped for a DUI. Skipping all the stuff about a PBT, FST's, and the BA, and let's get to the point where I take you. I look over the arresting ofifcer's citation, ensure it's filled out correctly, and then ask you some questions:
"Do you have any drugs/weapons/contraband in your possession?"
"Are you sick/injured in any way?"
"Have you ever been arrested in Jefferson County?"
After these are answered, you're brought in to the security area of the jail. You're then searched, and we do a two-finger (right index and middle) scan, plus ink your right four fingers onto your citation.
Now, you'll wait a bit, until the CIVILIANS (yep, non-sworn people actually enter you into the system) book you in. Then, pre-trial services will interview you. They're a state agency tasked with presenting your case to a judge later on. After this, you'll be interviewed by the medical staff, photographed, fingerprinted (LIVESCAN machine), and then interviewed by classification staff. After all this is complete, you'll be "booked" into the jail completely.
Now, assuming pre-trial was successful in getting the judge to set a bond for you (based on your criminal history, job history, verification of address/employment/etc), then you'll want someone to pay it. Well, that someone has to go (follow me closely, as this is tricky) to DISTRICT COURT, which is open 24/7/365, and pay the bond. The person paying this will be given an envelope, and instructed to take it to jail records. The records staff are ALSO civilians (nope, no sworn here either). They will run the release, and a copy of it will be sent to the booking floor.
This copy will have a photo of you, and will also contain other personal info that we'll use to ID you, such as your SSN, address, etc. This is to help ensure that you're the person you say you are.
Before you can go, though, a warrant check is completed by the good peole in the ID lab (they're a mix of civilians and officers for now. No more officers will be assigned to the lab; it was a union issue a few years back).
After the warrant check is completed, the release officer will come and get you. Remember the two-finger scan I mentioned earlier? Well, you get to do it again. This time, it will compare your current scan to the original one, and your pretty little mugshot will pop up on the screen, along with your name, stating the print was verified. You sign the release, and we send you into another room to get your property, and you leave.
That's the process. If you didn't notice, WE (we're not technically the police, either) don't have anything to do with WHO gets out of jail. If a release is sent over by records, we can only assume that it was properly issued by a judge. Either the subject met the conditions of the bond (i.e. - paid it), or a judge ordered it. That's a records/district court screwup , if something gets entered wrong. I've seen it happen here. THe people in records are human, and they do type stuff in wrong. Also, most (heck, all of them almost) are handwritten, and a 8 can easily resemble a 3...
My point to all this:
This is the most rabidly anti-police site (other than the idiots out there at places like copwatch) I've ever been to. People on here jump at ANY chance to bash the police, even (especially, in some cases) when they don't know what the heck is going on. I really liked the part about having someone arrested because they mistyped a 3....Yeah, that's nice. How about that poster being arrested because he made a simple mistake?
In any case, the booking/release system varies greatly from district to district (some of the smaller counties probably aren't open 24/7, like we are), let alone state to state. I mean, shouldn't people realize things might be different than where they live, especially on a board like this, where most of us keep up with multiple state law on CCW.
So, the next time you write a number down incorrectly, please take yourself down to the nearest police station, and have them arrest you, 'kay? And while you're down there, make sure you tell them exactly how to do their job, since you're an expert at it, too.
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