If you see a pink Hummer on the road, it most likely means Teresa and Lisa Golt are on their way to bail somebody out of jail.
The Golts are “bond” girls who run three law enforcement-related businesses in Orange County: Lipstick Bail Bonds, a bond agency; Lipstick Bond Girls, a “bounty hunter” operation; and Lipstick Investigations, the private investigations division.
Forget “Dog the Bounty Hunter” image. The Golts, who are twins, are soft-spoken, good-humored, low-key women.
“We do the girl thing,” said Teresa. “We often talk people into court. … We don’t look threatening and we aren’t geared up with vests and guns. It’s all about tactics.”
The companies’ signature pink color reinforces the idea that the Golts aren’t your average bail agency. Pink handcuffs, pink shirts and 24 pink cars, ranging from the Hummer to a Smart car. “We make a statement,” said Teresa. “We are owned by women. Pink is a happy color and we want people to feel comfortable.”
Don’t let the pink fool you. Teresa and Lisa are both 10-year veterans of the Los Angeles Police Department, which they say gives them the chops to chase down a fugitive without hesitating. “We want to be hot on their trail and get them right away,” said Teresa.
When the sisters were 21 years old, they knew they wanted to work for Chief Daryl Gates at the LAPD. “Gates trained us and gave us the confidence,” said Teresa. They were the first female twins to graduate from the police academy. After graduation they immediately went undercover at high schools. Think 21 Jump Street.
Lisa left the LAPD in 1999 and Teresa in 2000. They lived in Garden Grove the entire time they work in Los Angeles.
The 42-year-old sisters opened their first bail office in 2004 in Anaheim, using pension and personal money. They now have five offices, including Los Alamitos and Anaheim, and might add a sixth in Costa Mesa.
The Golts say business continues to grow, and they are now writing an average of $3 million in bail per month. They bail out 90 to 100 inmates per month and have six other employees, all women aged 19 to 61.
While a bail bond agency run by women may seem like a novelty, Sean Cook, president of Orange County Bail Agents Association and owner of Premier Bail Bonds in Newport Beach, estimates that about 30 percent of OC’s 25 to 30 bail bond companies are owned by women. “It’s ever- changing,” he said.
It seems inevitable that Lipstick Bail Bonds will draw the attention of reality-show producers. The sisters have been approached and may even get signed to a deal.
“We love what we do,” said Teresa. “We’re just girls doing our job.”
So what’s next for the Golts when they decide to leave the bail bond business? The pink ladies say they dream of opening a winery.
