Arrests are never a fun time and the waiting while being detained offers little else to think about beyond just how to get released. During this time you may be thinking about what you can do to make the whole process go faster, and while you may not have complete control of the timeline, there are still things you can do to help move things along. Here is a quick overview:
Get your basics taken care of
In order for a bail bondsman to do their job, they are going to need some key pieces of information to get started. This will include standard contact information such as name, home address, and phone number. They will also most likely need some more personal information such as date of birth and social security number to run a credit check. In addition to this, they will also ask about where you or your loved one is being held and if you know the booking number along with what the charges are, and if there is any type of previous arrest record. The final thing they will need to know is what the bond amount is so things may be held up overall until the bond has officially been set to finish an application.
Get a bail bondsman that is located near the jail
Bail bond agencies are almost always located in close proximity to detention facilities and because it puts them in a position to best serve those who are in that specific jail. When a bail bondsman negotiates release, it requires them to physically come to the jail to file all the necessary paperwork which means if you hire a bail bondsman that is located in another city, you have to account for travel time in addition to processing time. If you hire someone from an agency that is only a few steps away, they are going to be able to get you out that much faster.
Get an Indemnitor
An indemnitor is also known as a co-signer and they can help you in a number of ways while you are detained. The main reason for a co-signer is that they are willing to take responsibility for you contractually. This means that they are signing a contract promising that you show up to all scheduled court hearings, and they are willing to do that at the risk of being held financially liable. This is a big deal for someone to take on this type of task so it may not always be that easy to have someone willing to do so, but if you are able to find a loved one willing to sign, it makes the whole application process a lot quicker. The other benefit of having an indemnitor is that they can submit the necessary information to the bail bondsman such as ids and documentation needed to get everything set up and ready to go.
Overall, though there are definitely some main parts of the arrest process where you can do little else but wait, there are still some things that you can be proactive about that can make a difference in how quickly you get out once the bond is set.
