He’s Like His Dad, Always Bailing Folks Out of Trouble

Bob Drake’s father never wanted to tell anyone exactly what he did for a living.

He had run a successful business in Santa Ana dating back to 1958 and was the first president of his industry’s statewide organization. But when friends asked what kind of business he was in, he just said, “insurance.”

The kind of insurance Bob Drake Sr. provided was his personal guarantee that accused criminals would show up in court.

“He was worried about the image that the bail bondsman had. I debated him on that. I said, ‘You’re a professional guy; you’re a college graduate; there’s nothing wrong with your image.’ But he just didn’t want to deal with it,” said Drake, a 39-year-old Costa Mesa resident who now runs the family business. “I take a different approach. I tell people straight out--I’m a bail agent.”

Drake worked part time with his father during the last six months of his father’s life, coming to the profession in 1991 from a career in corporate sales. The natty USC business administration graduate works out of a ground-floor corner office in a converted apartment building, across from the Orange County Jail. His employees park in the building’s carport, beneath the second-floor apartments where a barbecue grill and assorted rusting outdoor furniture sit on the balconies above.

“Being in sales for 12 years was the best preparation I could have for this business. It trained me to become very good at reading people,” said Drake, whose glasses only partially obscure a focused, penetrating gaze. “I get a gut sense of whether somebody is a good risk or not. That’s the exciting part of this business--if you’re a gambler--sizing people up.”

On his desk is a cluster of ballpoint pens in a cup. Just for laughs, he had them imprinted: “Stolen from Bob Drake Bail Bonds.” The joke kind of backfired, he said, because some of his clients suspect the pens are a trick, to test their honesty.

Adapting his marketing and selling techniques to the world of criminal justice has been a challenge.

“Coming from a sales background, if business was slow you just went out and got more business. You called more people on the phone, you worked longer hours and you could turn things around. Probably the most frustrating thing about this business is that we’re at the mercy of people getting arrested and waiting for the phone to ring.”

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One thing he can do is try to respond to calls faster than the competition. If Drake then decides to grant bail to the individual, he typically receives 10% of the bail amount and requires some assurance of collateral, such as equity in a home, that would pay for the full bail amount if his client does not show up in court. But one of the inherent hazards of the business is the difficulty of verifying financial assets in the middle of the night or on weekends.

For those clients who flee, Drake contracts with “bail recovery agents,” the equivalent of modern-day bounty hunters. If the missing client is not found within 180 days, he must pay the full bail amount to the court. About 2% to 3% of his clients escape, triggering payment of the bail.

“When we get a call, people want to get someone out of jail now. They don’t want them out tomorrow; they don’t want them out an hour from now; they want to do it now. So we’ve got to be able to react immediately. It is tough for me. I’m the one who takes calls from midnight to 8 in the morning.

“My first suggestion to parents is to wait; don’t make someone else’s mistake your emergency. Get a good night’s sleep so you can take care of it in the morning. But it’s surprising to me the amount of people who want to come down, right now, at 3 in the morning and get things going to get their son or daughter out of jail.”

Most of those seeking bail from Drake have been accused of illegal drug use or drunk driving, or arrested for outstanding traffic citations.

“Well over 90% of the time we are dealing with a family member or a friend. I can’t tell you how many times Mom and Dad have sat here across the desk and said, ‘Hey, I have four kids. One is a doctor, one is an engineer, one is successful in business, but this is my one child that didn’t turn out right.’ We typically are dealing with good people who find themselves in difficult circumstances.”

Four states--Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon and Wisconsin--have banned private bail bond businesses. In California, only about 10% to 13% of those released on bail have contracted with a private bail bond business, Drake said. Most prisoners are released on their own recognizance, or have made financial arrangements directly with the court, especially in federal cases.

There is strong opposition throughout the United States to requiring financial payment for bail, Drake said, based on the 8th Amendment protection from excessive bail. But he argues that the financial requirement provides a strong incentive for the accused to return to court.

“When someone comes into my office, it’s a zero expense to the county. If someone runs away, I find them and bring them back. And, if we can’t find them, the county gets a bonus. We’re the only industry that pays into the criminal justice system.”

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Profile: Bob Drake

Age: 39

Hometown: Newport Beach

Residence: Costa Mesa

Family: Wife, Melody; two preschool-age children

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Background: Twelve years in corporate sales with companies including Xerox, U.S. Telephone, U.S. Telecom, GTE Sprint and PacTel Cellular; took over his father’s Santa Ana bail bonds business, Bob Drake Bail Bonds, in 1991; founder and current president, Orange County Bail Agents Assn.; board member, California Bail Agents Assn.

On client dishonesty: “A lot of our decisions are made in the middle of the night and on weekends, when access to the kind of financial information we need is very limited. I have this philosophy, that if you lie to me, you’re going to jail.”

Source: Bob Drake; Researched by RUSS LOAR / For The Times