PROFESSIONAL BAIL AGENTS OF THE UNITED STATES Dear Members & Friends, I’m sure you are all tired of hearing about the “difficult economy” and how bad everything is. Well I have some news for you, there are definitely some silver linings to this downturned economy and one of them is GREAT rates in Las Vegas! We have renegotiated with Flamingo for a great rate of $99/night! This is an amazing rate for Las Vegas, especially for a “GO Room” at the Flamingo! But of course, the hotel is not the only reason to attend the 2010 PBUS Winter Conference. For starters we are inviting several very knowledgeable people to join us and the information they are going to share will be very valuable indeed. We are very fortunate to be welcoming Sheriff Lee Baca to our Winter Conference. Sheriff Baca is in charge of the largest Sheriff’s department in the United States, with an annual budget of over 2.4 billion dollars and he is a strong supporter of bail. The Sheriff will be speaking at the Opening Session on Monday, along with LA City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and Deputy LA City Attorney Akili Nickson, so don’t miss out! Now, here’s a question for you: have you ever been asked “What is the true value of a bail agent when the tax payer supported system can just release the defendants? ” Well here is the best response to all their questions. Professor David Krahl and Sheriff Dennis Williams will be speaking about how bail agents save the government and tax payers money and how pre-trail release service programs cost the government and tax payers money. These are the facts and figures you need to bring home with you and share with others. Spread the word that you are serving not only the community but also the budget. PBUS will also be offering the annual bail related Exhibit Hall with plenty of new and different vendors, as well as several breakout sessions throughout the conference, and all six CBA classes. There is so much going on that I can’t cover it all, but please check out the rest of our brochure and our website at www.PBUS.com where you can register for the conference and also see the conference schedule, which is constantly being updated and more information is added on a regular basis. I would like to thank all my Board Members for a job well done and I have been honored to serve with you these last two years. 2010 is an election year for PBUS and as many of you heard at the 2009 Midyear Meeting I will be running for one more term. I invite all of my fellow Board Members to join me in seeking another PBUS term, as well as any other member that would like to become more involved with PBUS. We are always looking for new people with new ideas and lots of enthusiasm. If you would like to run for an office please inform the Nominations and Elections Committee, the information can be found on page 4 of this brochure. I look forward to seeing all of you in February at the Flamingo. Remember, take advantage of the early bird conference registration rate, which is less than it was it 2009. See you all soon and in the mean time have wonderful holiday season and a happy and healthy new year! Linda Braswell, MCBA PBUS President 2 WINTER CONFERENCE 2010 Opening Session LA County Sheriff Lee Baca, LA City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, and Deputy LA City Attorney Akili Nickson Monday, February 15th 1:00 pm We have an amazing three part program with three dynamic speakers for our Opening Session. Sheriff Lee Baca commands the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the largest in the United States, with a budget of 2.4 billion dollars. He leads over 18,000 budgeted sworn and professional staff. The Sheriff’s Department is the law enforcement provider to 40 incorporated cities, 90 unincorporated communities, 9 community colleges, and hundreds of thousands of daily commuters of the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Rapid Rail Transit District. Over 4 million people are directly protected by the Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Department also protects 58 Superior Courts and 600 bench officers. Moreover, the Department manages the Nation’s largest local jail system housing over 20,000 prisoners. Sheriff Baca is the Director of Homeland Security-Mutual Aid for California Region I, serving 13 million people. Sheriff Baca incorporates innovative practices into his leadership style based on proactive, progressive problem solving. Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich is the man in charge of the LA City Attorney’s Office. With more than 500 lawyers and 1,000 employees overall, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office is among the largest government legal offices in the country. The City Attorney is the chief prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles with jurisdiction to prosecute all misdemeanor criminal offenses and infractions. He is also the chief legal advisor and general counsel to the Mayor and the City Council, as well as all boards, departments, and officers in the City of Los Angeles. City Attorney Trutanich’s recent involvement in the Medical Marijuana debate is the issue that he will discuss with us. Medical Marijuana is an issue that right now affects fourteen states, including California. However, it is probable that this debate will eventually spread across the entire nation. City Attorney Trutanich will be discussing the history of the Medical Marijuana debate, how and what changes have been made in California, where he sees the laws going, and how these changes will affect our legal system and our citizens. Would you like to know if the City Attorney thinks that our legal system is capable of monitoring and regulating medical marijuana effectively? If he believes that the suggested good intentions of using this drug overrule the possible problems that this new legality could create? How does he see the use of Medical Marijuana affecting our jail system, and therefore affecting bail agents? And what are his forecasts as to how this new program will affect the bail community in California and eventually all over the country? City Attorney Trutanich will address all of these concerns and more. Akili Nickson is a Criminal Prosecutor with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. He is currently assigned as the Neighborhood Prosecutor for the 77th Police Division in South Los Angeles where he works almost exclusively on the investigation, enforcement and prosecution of quality of life and public safety concerns, including the proliferation of Bail Bond Companies soliciting at local police stations in the City of Los Angeles. He is taking a strong stand against “Guerilla Marketing” a tactic used by some bail agents to gain business by soliciting on the steps of the police station. These tactics have caused many safety concerns including assault and property damage. Attorney Nickson is working towards eradicating these issues and creating a level playing field for everyone in the bail business. Join us for the Opening Session, completely chock-full of information! Show your support for PBUS’ friends and supporters; Sheriff Baca, LA City Attorney Trutanich and Deputy City Attorney Nickson. 3 PROFESSIONAL BAIL AGENTS OF THE UNITED STATES General Session Professor David Krahl & Sheriff Dennis Williams: “Bail Agents Save Money Even in Today’s Economy – and we can prove it!” Tuesday, February 16 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm Great supporters and believers in bail, Professor David Krahl and Sheriff Dennis Williams will discuss how bail agents SAVE the government and taxpayers money and how pre-trial release service programs COST the government and taxpayers money. The simple, clear, undisputed record is just this: bail agents add to state and local coffers every year doing what they are trained and licensed to do. Nonmonetary programs and pretrial release program cause the government to spend money paying staff to do what bail agents already do, and can only show an expense for the tax coffers. In the twenty-first century world and in light of a sub-optimally performing economy, counties and local governments are attempting to “do more with less.” Government officials are seeking to provide government services without increasing the size or the costs of the bureaucratic infrastructure. This has been particularly true when it comes to the issue of jail overcrowding, and the question of how to reduce the costs of jail operations. One pragmatic and workable solution to the problem of jail overcrowding and that oftentimes is routinely ignored by government officials is the use of surety bonding as a way to effectuate the pretrial release of those defendants who are awaiting trial. One of the distinct advantages of surety bonding is that it functions as cost-effective mechanism to provide for the pretrial release of defendants at an absolute zero-cost to taxpayers. Dr. Krahl conducted a study using 35,000 cases and an array of secondary data sources which led him to several principal findings indicating the cost-savings associated with surety bonding as a pretrial release mechanism. Dr. Krahl and Sheriff Williams will lead a discussion on their cold hard facts that bonding is a more effective way to deal with jail overcrowding. Come and learn the information that you need to take back to share with your local officials. Political Action Luncheon Wednesday, February 17 11:45 am - 2:15 pm 2010 is an election year for PBUS! The election of the next Board of Directors will take place at the Political Action Luncheon on Wednesday from 11:45 am – 2:15 pm.