BARS Overview
Go to Table of Contents

General notes

BARS stands for Bail Agent Records System. BARS is designed to record and organize information collected in the course of operating a bail bond business. BARS is a Web application so you only need a computer with access to the Internet to use it. The program and your data are located on server computers that are setup to protect your data and your privacy.

BARS records data about:

Your BARS account

Information about a general, supervising, or contract agent and their relationships with sureties. It includes information that BARS uses to calculate premiums and payments to reserve accounts or build up funds.

Agencies

To BARS, an agency is equivalent to an office, a retail bail business, and/or a sub-agent.

Each BARS account must have one, but may have many agencies.

Agents

To BARS, an agent is a bondsman.

Each BARS account must have one, but may have many agents.

Users

A user record grants access permissions to a BARS user.

User records are required for everyone using BARS.

Phone Call Log

BARS provides tools for recording information about phone calls. Whether it is a call to get out of jail, a call from an indemnitor, or a check-in call from an existing defendant BARS helps you keep track of it.

The information recorded in a phone call record can be transferred to other types of records including prospects, indemnitors, and defendants to save data entry time and effort.

Prospects

Prospect records contain information about someone who is inquiring about a bail bond. They contain more information than phone call records, but not as much as indemnitor and defendant records.

Information contained in prospect records can be transferred to defendant records to save data entry time and effort.

Indemnitors

BARS records a wealth of information about indemnitors. You can record all of the information necessary for a full financial statement and more.

BARS provides an Indemnitor Summary so that at a glance you can see each piece of collateral an indemnitor is guaranteeing within your BARS Account and the bonds they secure.

Defendants

BARS records a wealth of information about defendants. You can record all of the information necessary for a full financial statement, arrest history, aliases, and more.

BARS provides a Defendant Summary so that you can see at a glance, the defendant’s entire history within your BARS Account, including bonds that you have written on his behalf, his next appearance date for each bond, whether they are in forfeiture, and any money that you are owed.

Collateral

BARS records information about collateral you have taken to secure bonds, from signatures to deeds of trust.

Bonds and Powers

BARS records and maintains information for the entire life cycle of bonds and powers.

Note: BARS uses the term Bond/Power throughout the program. The developers of BARS understand the differences between powers and bonds, but have found in working with agents and sureties around the country that the local terminology varies. In some areas the terms are used very precisely and in some areas they are used interchangeably. Therefore, BARS almost always uses the combined term “Bond/Power” hoping that everyone can be comfortable with this compromise.

Issuances

The sureties participating in the development of BARS each have a means of issuing bond/power records directly into your BARS Account. When the surety prepares the shipment of the physical powers, they also “issue” bonds into your BARS Account. When you receive your physical powers you will find the corresponding records waiting for you in your account’s inventory. Sureties have NO access directly into your account.

Inventory

BARS maintains bond/power records for your unwritten inventory. Whenever you write a bond for a defendant you just make a selection from a your current inventory list.

Active Bond/Powers

Once a bond/power has been written (posted), its status becomes “Active” until it is exonerated or a forfeiture is paid.

Execution Reporting

BARS automates the execution reporting process. The program gathers together all the information needed for your report, prints it out, and updates its records to show that the report has been made.

Premium Calculations

BARS uses the information contained in the BARS Account records to automatically calculate premiums and reserve or build up fund payments.

Expenses, payments, and balances

BARS calculates the defendant premium for you.

You can also enter additional expenses incurred for a bond. BARS totals these expenses for you in the bond/power record.

You can enter payments received for a bond/power. BARS totals these payments for you in the bond/power record.

BARS also calculates the balance owed to you for each bond/power. (defendant premium + expenses totals – payments received = balance)

Bond/Power Life Cycle Statuses

BARS bond/power records contain a status section. The information in this section is maintained by BARS and provides a “Status at a Glance” capability. The statuses tracked are:

Active

Written

Reported

Exonerated

Complete

Collateral Received

Collateral Returned

Forfeiture

Held to Answer

Superior Court

Motion

Demand/Judge

Set Aside

Forfeiture Paid

Transferred

Void

Sub-Bond/Rewrite

Multiple Bonds

Power Printed

Send Checker

Please see the Bond section of this manual for full explanation of these statuses.

Forfeitures and Motions

BARS records information about the forfeiture process that helps you keep track of when the skipped defendants are due to be returned, if the forfeiture has been set aside, if it is in demand, whether you have filed a motion, and more.

Printing of Forms

Blank data collection forms can be printed from BARS to take on the road or you can enter the information in BARS and have the forms print out with the information filled in.

Reporting

BARS has a wealth of reports to help you manage your agency. They can be printed to the screen, to a printer, or to a computer file.

Using BARS, the Basic Approach

BARS is simple to use.

If you want to view or print something:

· Go to the record

· Review it –or-

· Choose what you want from the Print menu!

If you want to change or update information:

· Go to the record

· Click Edit and make your change

· Save it!

If you want to enter new information:

· Select a New insert page for the type of information

· Enter the data

· Save it!

Versatility is designed into BARS so that you can work in a way that complements your business style and your personality.

Data Migration from Existing Applications

BARS Network provides data migration services. If you have data in another software application or in a system you developed yourself, BARS Network can help you move it to your new BARS Account. Please contact the office for further information.

Email Links
accounts@barsnetwork.com
suggestions@barsnetwork.com
comments@barsnetwork.com
questions@barsnetwork.com

Phone Contacts
    BARS Network Office
        (818) 224-4648
    Help Desk
        (888) 224-6431