Nutter has plan for bail deadbeats

For those who have fallen behind in bail payments, watch out: Mayor Nutter is on the hunt.

"We want our money," Nutter said yesterday at a news conference announcing a city plan to collect the money.

"Stand Up, Pay Up," a campaign to collect millions of dollars in bail money owed, is targeting 200,000 people.

About $1 billion in bail money has gone uncollected over 40 years, said Judge Pamela P. Dembe, president judge of Common Pleas Court. And the average person's debt is $4,500, she said.

"Sadly, I don't think we are going to be able to collect $1 billion," Dembe said. "We're going to go out there and collect as much as we possibly can."

Dembe's office, which started searching computer systems for unpaid payment plans in March, has identified 40 percent of those who owe money, she said.

But the city is going to give those with outstanding debt a chance to create a new payment plan before they face severe consequences. Nutter called it an opportunity for people to right their wrongs without any additional penalty fees for ignoring payment plans.

"You know you did wrong," he said. "But you can come to a safe place and get your situation sorted out and move on with your life."

Nutter said the problem came from the office of Vivian T. Miller - who retired as clerk of quarter sessions March 31 - which did not record bail payments as it should have. Now, the city searches computer systems, identifying people with unpaid balances through civil judgment records, he said.

"Most people do have debt," said Cary Flitter, who handles debt-collection cases for the law firm Lundy, Flitter, Beldecos & Berger.

Although the campaign might come as a shock to some who have not thought about their bail payments in years, Flitter said signing a contract to pay off any debt is a commitment.

"[The city is] going to find a small number of people that have assets," he said. "And a lot of them are going to be the mothers and fathers of the defendants. And they knew that was the risk when they were signing it."

No matter the circumstances, Nutter said, the city wants its money and every dime counts.

"This is not a game," he said.

"You want to play games? Go down to the Wachovia Center - not here in our city government."