ELLICOTT CITY, Md — Officers and prosecutors say witness cooperation is a major struggle in all cases with people refusing to snitch on others or afraid of retaliation.
Today two of our lawmakers shared a bill to help with that. Senator Ben Cardin and congressman Kwesi Mfume shared the witness security and protection grant program act. The bill would let the U.S attorney general give $150 million in grants to protect witnesses of violent felony cases.
Mfume says if cases are to be solved people need to feel safe in coming forward and testifying.
"The freedom to do that is one of the central pillars of our criminal justice system and it is a basic foundation of our court system. A witness who does the right thing by coming forward deserves protection and safety, and we are all determined to make sure that they get it."
According to the lawmakers violent felony cases include murders, serious drug offenses and gang-related crimes.