BOOKING AND BAIL PROCESS

Visalia is the county seat for Tulare County. The County Sheriff’s Department and the Visalia Police Department perform law enforcement duties in the City of Visalia. Both of these organizations can make arrests and handle the booking of the accused individuals. Booking by the Sheriff's Department is handled at the jail facilities that are supervised and operated by the Sheriff’s Office. Police Department bookings are processed at the two Visalia Police substations.

An individual may have been arrested on a warrant or because a peace officer has sufficient knowledge of circumstances to believe that a crime has been committed. Depending on who made the arrest, the defendant will be placed in custody and taken either to jail or to a police department substation. There they will be "booked".

Booking usually includes the following: the defendant will be photographed and fingerprinted. A background check will be run for outstanding warrants nationwide. Personal possessions will be taken. They will be inventoried and the defendant will not have access to them until they’re returned upon released. The arrestee may be tested for drugs and alcohol.

A defendant can be released from custody if you post a bail bond to assure appearance in court at the required time. If you have adequate funds, you must pay the full bail amount  if you decide to pay the bail directly to the jail. Usually, you must make payment by cash, cashier’s check or money order.

If you are not able to pay the full amount of the bail, your other option is to use a bail bondsman. Bail bond fees are set by each state. The State of California specifies 10% as the fee for a bail bond. You may see some offers for 5% bail bond fees or something similar. Remember, bail is a regulated industry and fees are set by the Department of Insurance which licenses bondsmen.

888 Bail Bond offers you flexibility in paying for your bail bond. You can pay for the bond with cash, cashier’s check, money order or credit card. We accept Visa, Master Card, Discover Card and American Express. It may be difficult for you to cover the surprise expense of a bail bond. Be assured that we will help you with flexible payment plans at an affordable pay schedule.