BETRAYAL, MURDER AND GREED   

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BMG Professional Book Reviews
Tacoma Weekly Newspaper
January 13, 2011

"Betrayal, Murder and Greed: The True Story of a Bounty Hunter and a Bail Bond Agent" by Pam Phree and Mike "Darkside" Beakley
Pam Phree and Mark “Darkside” Beakley present their memoirs from their long careers in the bail bond industry. Their tales take readers on a
wild ride into crack houses, cheap motels and other locations that law-abiding people only see on television shows.

The first part of the book describes how Phree went to work in this field at an established agency, starting as a part-time bookkeeper and
eventually becoming a bail bond agent.

The second part is about Beakley, who decided to become a police officer as a teenager. After a stint in the U.S. Navy he applied for a position with Tacoma Police Department and was hired. Beakley was on the SWAT team and a special team of officers assembled to deal with the influx of crack cocaine in the 1980s. Beakley worked on Hilltop when Los Angeles street gangs were getting established up here.

His police career came to a sudden end at age 38. One night after completing his shift he stopped at a bar on the East Side for a drink. A customer pulled a gun, leading to a shootout with Beakley, who had a nine-millimeter handgun. Beakley fatally shot the suspect, but not before taking a round in his left arm. The bullet did considerable nerve damage, causing the department to determine he could not physically perform his duties.
He was awarded a pension and had to figure out what to do with the rest of his life.

A point Phree makes throughout the book is the need for professional standards in the industry. Those who are arrested are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, a fundamental principle in America that she points out numerous times. They have a right to be released from jail until their court date arrives. Most who are bailed out do show up for court, but those who do not must face the consequences,
which is where bounty hunters come in.

As portrayed in many movies and television shows, bounty hunters are tough guys who are out to bust heads and kick butts. Both authors encounter many such individuals who apply for jobs as bounty hunters. Phree describes one bounty hunter she met early in her career who was as much of a thug as the people he apprehended. She was thrilled to have a former police officer such as Beakley enter this career field,
as she saw the need to have people with level heads and integrity doing this work.

A brief stint as a real estate agent left Beakley missing the excitement he experienced as a cop. He agreed to try his hand at bounty hunting and found he was good at it. His police experience gave him the instincts to stay safe in a dangerous occupation.

One chapter describes Beakley’s collaboration with State Senator Mike Carrell of Lakewood. Together they put together legislation that became state law setting standards for bounty hunters in Washington. This includes background checks, licensing, training in the use of firearms
and Tasers and classes in the use of force.

Phree clearly feels bail bond agencies play a necessary role in the criminal justice system. Four states, Oregon being one, do not allow bail bond agencies or bounty hunters. She claims public safety in Oregon suffers as a result, stating that one unnamed county in that state has 26,000 people on felony warrants on the loose and thousands more on misdemeanor warrants. With no bounty hunters to bring them into custody,
they are on the streets and in a position to commit more crimes.

The writing is not as compelling as might be found in a crime novel, but it conveys the information the authors want to get across. They are not trained as writers but do an admirable job and the editing is done well. It is written in a clear, no-nonsense style. The book is mostly a collection of stories about clients who skip out on their court dates. The clients are prostitutes, gang members, meth cookers, drug dealers and similar riff-raff. The stories describe the tactics bounty hunters use to locate and apprehend them. Most take place in Pierce County.

“Betrayal, Murder and Greed” offers a compelling look into the seedy underworld of the Tacoma area and the role the bail bond industry plays
in the legal system.
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International Mental Practitioner,Psychic,
Counselor, Radio/Television Personality,
Talk Show Host, Award Winning Author,
Teacher & Minister
Host of "The Donna Seebo Show"

July 2010

Betrayal, Murder & Greed by Pam Phree & Mike ‘Darkside’ Beakley. This is one of the most informative publications about the inner workings of bail bonds, bounty hunters and the judicial system I have ever read. This is all about a world of individuals that play a big part in
keeping criminals off of the streets.
Amazing read.
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June 20, 2010

Pubished in the Kitsap Sun, Bellingham, Olympia and Tacoma News Tribune Newspaper 

Book roots out Northwest criminals

BARBARA LLOYD MCCMICHAEL

This book focuses on true crime episodes, but it is told from the interesting if sometimes artless perspectives of a bounty hunter and a bail bond agent.

Pierce County-based Mike Beakley and Pam Phree have worked together for 20 years. In their new book, "Betrayal, Murder and Greed," they share stories about their dealings with some of the nastier folks out on the streets.

As the owner of a bail bond agency, Pam Phree admits that she does have to work with "the usual slime and degenerates," but she points out that according to America's judicial system, all inmates are presumed innocent until they're proven guilty. If a judge is willing to set bail for a prisoner, the bail bonding agency's only concern is making sure that the prisoners they bail out show up for their court date. And if they don't, that's when bounty hunters like Mike Beakley are called in to track them down.

These stories capture the raw language and graphic detail that predominate in that stratum of society. It isn't pretty, but it certainly is gripping. In addition to recounting the chase scenes, shakedowns, and shoot-outs, Phree and Beakley also take time to reflect upon a code of ethics and professionalism that I frankly had never given much thought to.

This is an interesting take on public safety and our criminal justice system.

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/06/20/1486933/two-books-root-out-northwest-criminals.html#ixzz0su4tvre1
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March 07, 2010

John Cameron
South Tacoma Way
 
            I don’t read a lot of true crime books. This is mainly because I’m not really all that interested in the lives of criminals and that’s usually what those books are about. What interests me are the people who deal with criminals on a daily basis. The people who brush against that world and manage to retain their values and their sense of self fascinate me. I found out about Betrayal, Murder And Greed because I’m friends with the son of one of the authors and he mentioned it. I read it because it’s about a bail bond agent, a bounty hunter, and their careers in Tacoma. I’m writing this review of it because you should read it too.

            Unless you’ve been bailed or bailed someone out of jail, you probably don’t know much about the bail bonds business or how things work in that industry. And unless you’ve skipped bail, your only experience with a bounty hunter is likely watching Dog, The Bounty Hunter. Of course watching Dog and thinking you know what it’s like to be a bounty hunter is like watching Cops and thinking you know what’s involved in being a cop. Betrayal, Murder And Greed isn’t interested in making things more exciting than they are or glamorizing anything. It’s too busy telling you stories of what this sort of life is like.

            The book is split into three sections. First you hear Pam Phree’s story of how she got started in the bail bonds business and how it went from being just a job to something she loves. Then you hear Mike "Darkside" Beakley’s story of how he was a Tacoma cop who got shot, left the force, and went to the ‘dark side’ and became a bounty hunter. Once you’ve gotten to know these two, the book really takes off with the story of Pam and Mike. The whole book reads like you’re hanging around at a bar with these two swapping tales over a few beers. They aren’t tall tales. They’re just stories of things that have happened in the thirty years they’ve been in the business. One of the things you learn early on in the book is that the criminals aren’t always just the people getting bailed out of jail. The bail bonds industry has more than its fair share of criminals as well.

            Both Mike and Pam have a highly developed sense of morality and justice that is continually tested on all sides. For Pam, it’s working with unscrupulous people who are often committing as many crimes as the people they’re bailing out and don’t always respect that a woman can do what’s traditionally been a man’s job. For Mike, it’s the fact that he’s a former cop doing a job that most cops have zero respect for despite its similarities. While a good portion of the book tells entertaining and interesting stories of people skipping out on bail and being chased down by Mike and his partners, there’s also a good amount of information about what the bail bonds industry is and isn’t and more importantly what changes should be made in the industry.

            As a lifelong resident of Tacoma, many of the higher profile cases and situations are events I recognize and remember reading about. Betrayal, Murder And Greed isn’t really a Tacoma crime history book, but it does a good job of showing what dealing with the criminal element of Tacoma is like. These are the stories of things that happen every day without most of us even being aware of it.

            Bounty hunters risk put their lives on the line like many other public servants and like anyone else, there are good ones and bad ones. This book doesn’t shy away from that fact. Unlike police officers, bounty hunters don’t have any back up. They’re largely on their own. This is what makes the job dangerous and also what makes some criminal types gravitate to it. This results in Mike occasionally working with the sort of people he would have put behind bars in his previous job. There are times he wants to and does give up on the job, but his desire to do right and help make the industry what it should be is too great for him to stop. Meanwhile, Pam tries to keep clear of the corruption that seems to permeate so many aspects of the bail bonds industry. Ultimately, they form their own bail bonds company in an effort to show how to do the job right by example. Betrayal, Murder, And Greed is a good read for anyone interested in the bail bonds business or anyone who wanted to know what actually goes on at those places we drive by and hope we’ll never have to call.

-Jack

jackcameron.spaces.live.com
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An intriguing look into the bail bond and bounty hunting industries,
highly recommended.
 February 15, 2010
By  Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
The life of a bounty hunter isn't as simple as television would lead you to believe. "Betrayal, Murder, and Greed: The True Story of a Bounty Hunter and a Bail Bond Agent" tells the tale of Pam Phree, a woman who has entered the bail bond industry and has vowed to turn the typically shady industry into a more respectable when her peers often exploit it out of greed. It is also the story of Mike Beakley, a former cop who has taken to become a licensed bounty hunter. These two tell the story of trying to keep their moral ground when their competitors really burn the line between the law and crime. "Betrayal, Murder, and Greed" is an intriguing look into the bail bond and bounty hunting industries, highly recommended.
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Sunday, January 31, 2010

By Alan Caruba

My Picks of the Month

Betrayal, Murder and Greed: The True Story of a Bounty Hunter and a Bail Bond Agent by Pam Phree and Mike ‘Darkside’ Beakley ($24.95, New Horizon Press) is the story of their twenty-year partnership in the bail bond industry. It is a story of brutal hired hit men, vicious gang murders, terrifying shoot outs, dangerous drug deals, and even corrupt bail enforcement agents. It is also, of course, the story of how one catches a criminal and in addition to patience and smarts, it requires nerves of steel. This is a candid look at the dark underbelly of society and the book is an exciting, pulse-pounding journey. Phree is a bail bond agent and Beakley a bounty hunter who has spent twenty years tracking criminals in an industry that hovers between crime and justice. Over the past decade, bounty hunters have apprehended about 25,000 fugitives in the United States every year. They return to custody some 99% of the criminal defendants who skip bail.

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Adventures in bail bonds

Area residents Pam Phree and Mike Beakley turn their real-life experiences with criminals into critically-acclaimed literature

Neil Pierson of The Herald

Published: January 27th, 2010 06:00 AM


 

   Colleen Carroll

Bounty hunter Mike Beakley and bail bond agent Pam Phree often meet at 2J’s Saloon in Puyallup to discuss their cases.

Nearly 20 years after meeting under chance circumstances, Pam Phree and Mike Beakley are still working together to clean up the criminal justice system.

After getting shot and sustaining serious nerve damage in his left arm, Beakley was forced to retire as a Tacoma police officer in the early 1990s. The Tacoma resident wasn’t sure of his next step until a random encounter one day with Pam Phree, a longtime Puyallup resident and 20-year bail 
bond agent. They began working together on a number of criminal recovery efforts, eventually piling up enough tales of death, destruction and moral depravity to write their own book.

Phree had wanted to write the book for several years but hadn’t found a willing publisher until meeting with New Horizon Press. They gave her a deal on two conditions: Beakley, who has been a bounty hunter since meeting Phree, had to write half the book and he had four months to do it.

“I’m not a writer so I was in a panic,” Beakley explained. “I would write down the stories and have my wife look at it, tell me where to put the commas.

“Once I got on a roll and started pounding them out, it wasn’t that difficult,” he said of the process, which resulted in a 107,000-word manuscript. “When you’re telling true stories it doesn’t take any imagination.”

The result is “Betrayal, Murder and Greed: The True Story of a Bounty Hunter and a Bail Bond Agent,” a 300-page roller coaster ride along the duo’s career path. The book was published in December by New Horizon Press. Though many names and identifying details have been changed, the stories have retained their accuracy and vivid sense of danger, Phree said.

“The stories that I hear are incredibly sensational,” she said. “There are just so many twists and turns in this book.”

The heart and soul of the book are the painful details involved in apprehending thousands of bail jumpers. One of the most difficult but satisfying chapters for Phree is “Buried in the Woods,” a tale of acquaintances of hers who turned out to be drug pushers and murderers. Another time, she bailed out a man who had committed a misdemeanor, only to learn later he went home and killed his girlfriend and her mother in front of three children.

Shocking stories like these made Phree question whether she really wanted to serve in a “life and death profession.”
The material overflowed this book,
so she’s in the process of writing a sequel.

Phree Bail Bonds, which has four locations throughout the South Sound, has provided an opportunity for Beakley and Phree to collaborate and do business their way. Five years after becoming a bail agent, Phree was tired of dealing with “really corrupt” colleagues.

“Most bounty hunters were convicted felons who were fresh out of prison,” she said, explaining that they often assaulted or stole from the people they caught. “Sometimes they would shake them down for months without ever taking them to jail.”

In her search for a more respectable partner, she found Beakley. They sat down over beers and discussed the possibility of Beakley becoming a bounty hunter.

“I was impressed with his integrity and his morality,” Phree said of Beakley. “I looked at him and asked him if he would do the job the right way.”

After working in the field for more than a decade, Beakley began efforts to reform bounty hunter laws. That led him to former state representative and current state senator Mike Carrell, who helped pass key regulations in 2006 and 2008.

“He recognized the need for bail bondsmen and bounty hunters,” Beakley said. “He also understood the need to get these guys trained and equipped.”

Bounty hunters must now be trained and licensed in Washington. Because they can enter a home without a search warrant, unlike police, bounty hunters are also now checked for compliance with privacy laws.

“Betrayal, Murder and Greed” is being mass marketed online through Web sites like Amazon.com and is getting positive reviews.

“What I’m hearing from everybody that reads it is they can’t put it down, they read it in a day or two,” Beakley said.

While Phree is diligently working toward a second book, Beakley may need some more convincing before donning his writer’s hat again.

“She’s pushing me for it,” he said. “That means I have to concentrate again. It makes my head hurt.”

Reach Assistant Editor/Reporter Neil Pierson at 253-841-2481 ext. 313 or by e-mail at neil.pierson@puyallupherald.com.


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January 10, 2010

By C.F. Foster

Florida-Times Union

'Betrayal, Murder and Greed: The True Story of a Bounty Hunter and a Bail Bond Agent'

Authors: Pam Phree and Mike "Darkside" Beakley Data: New Horizon Press, 305 pages, $24.95

This memoir reads like a script of a TV reality show.

In most places, bail bondsmen are a necessary part of the legal system. To avoid staying in jail until they are processed through the clogged legal system, those that have run afoul of the law post a financial bond to ensure they will appear in court on the appointed date. They do this through a bonding agent, who in essence loans them the money. After the suspect appears in court, the money is refunded and the agent takes his fee. If the person doesn't show up for court, the bondsman is financially liable. To avoid losing the money, he hires a bounty hunter who has authority to find the wayward client and return him to jail.

Author Pam Phree got into the business because she needed a job. She found she was good at bonding, and it paid well. Her story, told in alternate chapters, is one of a woman making it in a man's world. She encounters corruption, cruelty and corporate greed before establishing her own business.

Her friend Mike Beakley was a decorated policeman, who, after suffering severe wounds in the line of duty, was forced to find a new livelihood. Beakley discovered he had the skills to become very good at his new occupation, one that his friends on the force find distasteful, thus the appellation "Darkside." Beakley's tales of tracking them down and bringing them in are fraught with excitement and danger.

This is a tale of raw life that most of us will never experience, but one that someday we may need to know about. Following Phree and Beakley
 through their daily tasks is educational and entertaining.

C.F. Foster lives in Riverside.
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The Seattle Times

Monday, January 4, 2010 

Books with local ties include a true-crime memoir  

 

 

 

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