Businesses recover cash through bad check program

By Shannon Murphy | The Flint Journal
June 5, 2008

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan -- GENESEE COUNTY -- More than $1 million has been returned to local merchants through a Bad Check Restitution Program.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton was expected to announce the milestone today (Thursday, June 5) at the Genesee Valley Center. Leyton said since he took over the program in 2005, he was able to market it more and increase its use.

The program began in 2004 under former prosecutor Arthur A. Busch.

The program helps local retailers who receive a bad check recoup their losses.

"Bad checks affect everyone from the business owner who feels it in their bottom line to the taxpayer who sees higher prices at the cash register," Leyton said in a release.

Under the program, first time bad-check offenders can avoid criminal charges by taking an intervention class and paying restitution. If they fail to do so, they can be prosecuted.

Flint Township police Lt. Robert Battinkoff said the program has helped local merchants recoup their losses and has freed up local police.

Since the program started, more than $490,000 in bad checks from Flint Township stores have been submitted to the prosecutor's office for possible reimbursement, he said.

"It's pretty substantial," Battinkoff said. "We don't have the resources to take care of all the bad checks plus all the other crimes."

Battinkoff said before the program started there was no system for dealing with offenders and it could be months before a detective was able to investigate.

"It sent the message that you could write bad checks and there is nothing we could do about it," he said. "This has fixed that."

Leyton said the program has been so successful he's thinking of starting a similar program for first offenders of petty theft.

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