CCW Safe’s Police Union Model: Part 3-Bail

Last week we talked about criminal defense attorneys and the fees for representation. Looking at out of pocket expenses on hiring an attorney for $100k, we saw them ranging from $90k on the high end, to breaking even on the highest priced plans. This week we are going to show even more out of pocket expenses as we talk about bail bonds.
Bail hearings can range from days to months, depending on the courts. A judge will hear the case against you and will determine if you will be granted bail. The chart below shows the average bail amounts across the country. You will notice that in listing all the felony crimes and bail associated with them, there is a big difference when it comes to murder, often jumping up to $500 to $1 million.

Let’s say that you were on the low end, and had a bail of $500k. After meeting the collateral, meaning that you show that you produce proof of assets in various forms to the bondsman that would meet the full $500k if you were to run and not show up for the trial, you will have to pay the bond fee. The bond fee is generally 10% of the total amount, so in this case it would be $50k. You now find yourself in a very complex problem. If you have already paid your attorney $100k from your coverage, and you now have bail on top of that, you are already $25k in the hole if you have the highest level of coverage from a competitive insurance. What if you only have $10k in bail bond coverage, which is common with many competitors? Does that $10k com out of what your coverage allows for a retainer? With most other competitors coverage, starting at $10k, you will now be out personally $140k.

Here’s the same breakdown we used last week on some of the other plans out there.

$1k bail bond coverage- Second Call $9/month- $49k out of pocket. Added to the already $90k out of pocket from the attorney fees, these plans would leave $139k total out of pocket
$2500 bail bond coverage- USCCA $13/month- $47,500 out of pocket. Added to the already $50k out of pocket from the attorney fees, these plans would leave $97,500 total out of pocket.
$5k bail bond coverage- USCCA $22/month and Second Call $19/month- $45k out of pocket. Added to the already $25-$50k out of pocket from the attorney fees, these plans would leave $70k – $95k total out of pocket.
$10k bail bond coverage- USCCA $30/month – $40k out of pocket. Even with no out of pocket from the attorneys fees, you are now $15k – $40k out of pocket, depending on if you can use the additional $25k left over from the attorney retainer fees.
$25k bail bond coverage- Second Call $39/month and Armed Citizens Network- $25k out of pocket. Added to the already $50k- $90k out of pocket from attorney retainer fees, these plans would leave $75k to $115k total out of pocket.

If you add another $100k attorneys fees for an entire trial, you are now at $115k to $239k out of pocket with any other program, and we haven’t even gotten to any of the other costs associated with the trial. You can quickly see how coverage is going to work in the real world, and how most coverage is actually going to be very limiting.

Next week, we are going to talk about Expert and Investigators.