Page 144 - Judgment Enforcement Course

Judgment Enforcement – The Step-by-Step Course

Step 8: Till-Taps and Keepers

If your debtor’s business has clients coming in and out to buy
things—such as a retail store—then you can actually garnish the
money that the clients pay. There are two good ways to do this: till-
taps and keepers.

Till Tap
A till-tap is when the sheriff arrives at the place of business, empties out the cash
register and leaves. Obviously this will work best on companies that typically have fairly

large quantities of cash on hand, such as a market, a liquor store or an auto parts store—
and if the owner isn’t expecting it. I did a till tap on a bar, on two consecutive Friday
nights. It worked.

A Keeper

A keeper is when the sheriff actually places an officer inside the
business establishment to collect cash directly from the clients as they
pay. At this point, typically (check with your sheriff) no credit cards will
be accepted from the clients, just cash and checks.

When to Use a Keeper:
There are advantages and disadvantages to having the sheriff sit there and
collect money all day. An obvious advantage is that it may embarrass the debtor,

and because of that you may get all your money right away.
But a disadvantage is that customers may be scared away. And, the keeper

can be expensive. Your county sheriff’s office can tell you exactly how much. But this too
is an expense you can add back onto the judgment. So if you know the debtor has the
assets with his personal company and is just refusing to pay, consider this method.

Maybe sit outside the business during different parts of the day to see when it is
busiest. Also, determine which day of the week it is the busiest. A flower shop will be
busiest right before Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. A liquor store may be busiest right
before a holiday or “big game.”

Steps:

✓ Check with the sheriff on costs and any instructions the sheriff will need from
you.

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