In her 14 years as a bail agent, Cherokee Pierce has experienced a wide variety of court situations.

Having worked around King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, she’s helped individuals appear to face charges ranging from violent crimes to property offences. Now based at All City Bail Bonds’ downtown Seattle office, she’s come to know a lot about people in crisis.

“It’s most often people who need a second chance to get back on their feet, or a person who just needs someone to believe in them,” she says. “It’s never the same and I still learn things on a weekly basis.”

That caring voice or friendly face

More than simply writing up the bond and dropping it off at the jail, Pierce and fellow bail agent Taylor Nakamura are the caring voice on the phone or the friendly face across the counter who work to help that person and their family understand the process. “Especially when family are worried about what might happen next, we help them try and see the bright side of things and not feel so overwhelmed,” Pierce says.

Whether the client is facing charges for the first time or has often been through the court system, All City staff do their best to connect them with professionals in the community who can help, Nakamura adds. “We treat everyone with as much care and grace as we can and help them navigate the system. We have to take that approach: we’re often seeing people on what could be the worst day of their lives and that of their families.”

Going above and beyond

Pierce described a mother whose older son has been bailed out by All City numerous times over the years. The woman had the agents’ personal cell numbers and would, on occasion, text in the middle of the night with concerns or worries. “Sometimes we just had to give her peace of mind that he was not going to have to spend another night in jail. That young man is now clean and sober, has a real job and is trying to make good choices.”

Adds Nakamura: “As much as this is a business, you really can’t discount the human element, the fact there’s a person in front of you. While we try to accommodate them and steer them toward resources, we can only advocate for them so much, the client has to take that next step. But we do want to see people succeed.”

Central location in Seattle

Whether you’re coming from Bothell, Kirkland or Redmond, All City’s location at 601 Sixth Ave. in Seattle (Licence #1928) is close to the King County and Seattle courthouses and King County jail. Visit allcitybailbonds.com or call them directly toll-free at 206-622-9999. You can also keep up with the latest on All City’s Facebook page.