The Post And Courier (Charleston, S.C.)
Charleston, S.C. (AP) -- Lowcountry law enforcement officers may soon be able to keep a closer eye on bail bondsmen tracking criminal defendants through a satellite monitoring system.
Two of the three bondsmen who offer satellite monitoring in the area have pledged to provide computer passwords to allow authorities to randomly check on people placed on the tracking system, said prosecutor Ralph Hoisington.
Bondsmen would still have primary responsibility for monitoring offenders and alerting victims to violations, but law enforcement officers would be able to make sure bail bondsmen are living up to their responsibilities, Hoisington said.
The prosecution asked judges to stop putting defendants on the tracking system after a man charged with assault disappeared for a week in April when his monitor battery died and the system lost his signal.
Charleston County Magistrate Jack Guedalia has agreed to put new defendants on monitors once law enforcement agencies have direct access to the monitoring system. Hoisington wants to make that a mandatory condition of the program.
“We’re not trying to stop it,” Hoisington said. “We’re just trying to make it work more effectively. I think this is at least a positive step forward. Now we have to see if it is good enough.”
Michael A. Smith, president of “A” Bail For You, and Jim Robinson, president of Robinson Bonding, have offered to give authorities direct computer access to the satellite tracking systems they use to check on offenders, Hoisington said.
The third bail bondsman Larry Ballard, who owns of Alternative Incarceration Methods, told The (Charleston) Post and Courier on Tuesday he is willing to give authorities access to his monitoring computer. Hoisington said he had not spoken with Ballard.
In addition to computer access, Smith said he is willing to notify authorities by pager whenever a violation occurs.
Smith’s company came under fire last month when assault suspect John David Patrick, 53, of Johns Island went missing after his battery failed.
Smith said his company notified law enforcement two days later when workers discovered Patrick was missing. Smith said his company was not alerted when Smith’s battery died.
Smith said he has fired the person initially hired to oversee his system. Smith and three employees underwent 12 hours of training Tuesday to become more adept at using the system. Workers also randomly check on offenders at least twice a week by phone and regularly check equipment to make sure the pagers provided to victims are working, he said.
“We are trying to implement the necessary procedures that will make Solicitor Hoisington more comfortable so we can get it up and running again,” Smith said.