OLYMPIA — Possible changes to Washington’s bail system are being discussed at the Legislature, following 2009’s deadly Lakewood police shootings.
State senators have scheduled a hearing Wednesday on a bill that adopts recommendations from the state’s recent task force on bail practices.
That task force came after the shooting deaths of four Lakewood officers. The suspect in that case, Maurice Clemmons, had bailed out of jail three times that year without ever paying more than 4 percent up front.
The task force recommended tighter regulation of bail bondsmen and more information-sharing with judges who set bail. But it did not suggest minimum payment rates for those who get a bail bond. Some states have that requirement, but Washington doesn’t.
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