J. MILLARD TAWES, GOVERNOR                             957

120.   Bail.

(a)  Criminal Division.

(1)   The judges of the Municipal Court sitting in the Criminal
Division shall have power to set bail and release on personal recogni-
zance to the same extent as the justices of the peace assigned to sit
in the station houses of Baltimore City were empowered on the day
preceding the effective date of this Act.

(2)  The judges sitting in the Criminal Division of the Municipal
Court shall have power at any time to change the amount of bail,
determined and endorsed upon any warrant under the provisions of
Section 116 (b) of this Article.

(3)  Except as provided in Sub-subsection (4) hereof, whenever
any person shall be arrested and brought to any station house in the
City of Baltimore under a warrant endorsed as provided in Section
116 (b) above, during the absence of the judge from the location of
that part (other than Housing) of the Criminal Division of the Court,
which is nearest to said station house, the police captain, lieutenant,
or other police officer, in charge of said station house shall release
for the next hearing before said judge the person so arrested, upon
his furnishing security for his appearance at the hearing in double
the amount endorsed upon the warrant.

(4) Where there is an arrest by an officer of the Police Department
of the City of Baltimore of any person for the violation of an ordi-
nance of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore or of a statute of
the General Assembly of the State of Maryland punishable by fine
and not by imprisonment, or for a violation of Section 388 of Article
27 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Ed.) (manslaughter by
automobile, etc.) at a time when a judge is not available at that
location of the Criminal Division of the Municipal Court (except
Housing), which is nearest to the station house of the arresting
officer, or nearest to the office of the State's Attorney of Baltimore
City in cases under said Section 388;, the police captain, lieutenant or
other officer on duty and in charge of such station is hereby author-
ized and empowered to release for the next hearing before the said
judge any person so arrested upon a deposit of an amount equal to
the maximum fine and costs or penalty which could be imposed, if
found guilty, as surety for such appearance, and after the hearing
the deposit is to be returned to the depositor if the complaint is dis-
missed, if otherwise, it is to be appropriated as designated by law.

(b)  Traffic Division.

The judges assigned to sit in the Traffic Division shall be em-
powered to set bail as provided in Article 66½, Section 320, ANNO-
TATED CODE.

(c)  In all cases the Court shall have the discretionary power to
strike out the forfeiture of bond or collateral where the defendant
can show reasonable grounds for his non-appearance.

121.   Contempt. The Municipal Court shall have the same power
as possessed by the several courts of this State to issue attachments
and inflict summary punishments for direct contempts, committed
in the presence of the Municipal Court, or so near to said court as
to interrupt its proceedings, in the types of cases set forth in Section
4 of this Article. The procedure in such cases shall be as provided for
direct contempts under Section 5 of this Article.