several times per week i'm in court w/someone who is being held on a cash bond where the judge has granted them a free phone call to someone who can help them raise bond money...and they don't know anyone's phone number b/c all of the phone numbers are in their phone. usually if they have their phone in their personal property the judge will order the jail to give the detainee access to retrieve a phone number. but if the person was arrested w/o having their phone on them and they don't have any phone number memorized - they're kinda fucked. usually my office investigators can help at that point though. however, last week i saw a guy who didn't have me as his lawyer and made too much money to have a lawyer from the public defender's office and didn't have his phone w/him and didn't know any phone number. his cash bond amount was $5000 and he needed $500 to get out of jail - just like Sandra Bland. AFAIK he sat for at least a few days.

anyway, my point - memorize a phone number for a reliable person. someone whose phone number hasn't changed and won't change, someone whose phone is likely to be in service, someone who will is likely to answer or at least use voicemail, and someone who can either post bond for you or can locate others who can help you post. generally it's best if this person lives in the city where you live but if not they need to at least be able to reach ppl who live where you live. b/c someone might need to actually appear in person at the jail to post bond.