By Texas Bail Enforcement Association (TXBEA)

For years, bail bond professionals and their investigators have operated with one hand tied behind their backs. While judges and court personnel have access to valuable statewide information when making bond decisions, the licensed professionals responsible for ensuring defendants actually return to court are often left without the same critical intelligence.

Texas Senate Bill 9 and the Public Safety Report System (PSRS) represent a major advancement in Texas criminal justice. The system provides judges with risk assessments and important information to assist in determining appropriate bond conditions and release decisions. These tools are intended to improve public safety and ensure informed judicial decisions.

But an important question remains:

Why should the professionals charged with locating and apprehending defendants have less information than those who released them?

The State Already Has the Infrastructure

Texas has already invested in the PSRS system and the mechanisms necessary to gather and distribute information to authorized users. Judges, magistrates, and certain court personnel can access information intended to help evaluate a defendant's risk factors and criminal history when setting bond.

The Texas Bail Enforcement Association believes the answer is not creating a new system.

The answer is expanding access to an existing one.

Licensed bail bond agents and their licensed investigators are regulated professionals operating under the Texas Occupations Code and Texas Administrative Code. They are entrusted with significant responsibilities and, in many cases, are the last line of defense between a defendant's failure to appear and successful apprehension.

Information Gaps Create Unnecessary Risks

Every day, bail bond investigators contact individuals who may have multiple outstanding warrants, violent criminal histories, or pending cases in other jurisdictions.

Unfortunately, investigators frequently have no reliable method of determining:

• Whether additional warrants exist elsewhere in Texas;

• When those warrants were issued;

• The nature and severity of the charges;

• Whether the defendant has demonstrated a pattern of failing to appear;

• Whether the defendant represents an elevated threat to investigators or the public.

This lack of information creates unnecessary dangers for everyone involved.

Approaches that might be appropriate for a misdemeanor failure-to-appear case become significantly different when a subject is also wanted elsewhere for violent felonies.

Knowledge saves lives.

Public Safety Should Be the Goal

Expanding access to PSRS information to licensed bail bond professionals would not weaken the criminal justice system—it would strengthen it.

Benefits could include:

Improved Investigator Safety

Licensed investigators could better assess risk before making contact with fugitives.

Better Coordination With Law Enforcement

Knowledge of additional warrants allows investigators to notify local agencies and request assistance when appropriate.

Increased Defendant Accountability

Subjects with multiple warrants could be identified more quickly, reducing opportunities for continued criminal activity.

Reduced Risk to the Public

Safer apprehension strategies lead to fewer dangerous confrontations and better outcomes for communities.

More Efficient Fugitive Recovery

Licensed professionals could prioritize resources and focus efforts where they are needed most.

Limited Access with Appropriate Safeguards

The Texas Bail Enforcement Association is not advocating for unrestricted access.

Any expansion should include:

• Access limited to licensed bail bond agents and licensed investigators;

• Verification through state licensing databases;

• Audit trails and accountability measures;

• Criminal penalties for misuse;

• Restrictions on dissemination of information;

• Mandatory training requirements.

These safeguards already exist in many professional information-sharing systems and can be implemented responsibly.

A Proven Partnership

Texas bail bond professionals have worked alongside courts and law enforcement for generations. They save taxpayers millions of dollars annually by ensuring defendants appear in court and by locating those who flee.

The licensed professionals responsible for bringing fugitives back to justice should not be forced to operate blindly while information already exists within state systems.

Texas has already built the infrastructure.

The technology exists.

The safeguards can be implemented.

Now is the time to recognize that public safety is best served when licensed bail bond agents and investigators are equipped with the information necessary to perform their duties safely and effectively.

The Texas Bail Enforcement Association encourages lawmakers, judges, and criminal justice stakeholders to consider expanding authorized access to the Public Safety Report System and other statewide warrant information systems for properly licensed bail bond professionals.

Because informed professionals make safer decisions—and safer decisions protect everyone.