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weregeld?
If this system were radically changed, then missions would have to change too - there are a lot of missions to assassinate specific named targets, if taking that mission were effectively a death sentence for the player then it would be a huge disincentive to taking those missions. Maybe missions like that would come with an associated method to clear the bounty, like "when you return, we have arranged with the local security officer that you go to him and clear the bounty".
and what about 2 different bounty system?
let me explain:
as of now, any agression grant the agressor a bounty, be it vs NPC or player, that said agresssor can then payoff.
this make snese since you WILL have bounty at some point, be it throught mission or dumb cops
let's change it:
ingame, nothing change, still only one "bounty account by player", but server side, there is 2 accounts by player
the first is the one we have now, for dealing with NPC gained bounty (mission / cops / npc agression) and works exactly as of now
the second however, is made to deal with agression vs other players, and cannot be payed off, or under very specific and difficult circumpstances (this point is off course up to discuss, chance based? only in some remote location with "buyable" officials etc....
from the game POV one only see the total balance of both accounts, meaning if you gained 2*300cr by shooting at police, plus 2300 because you shot another player, your bounty balance is 2900cr, and everyone sees it (like now)
if you go to station, you can only pay 600 out of it, unless you are under the circumpstances i mentionned before, then you can pay it all off.
if you get caught by another player and killed, same as now, he got 2900cr.
but to be fair, we also need to change one thing:
you can defend yourself when you have a bounty, if one is to attack you because of you holding a bounty, you can retaliate (you cannot however shoot first without gaining the corresponding bounty indeed)