"This will help tremendously," District Attorney Seth Williams said Thursday. "It will allow us to find some refuge for people who have been intimidated and have asked us to move them."
Williams lauded the mayor's and legislature's decisions to make such funding a priority, particularly at a time of fiscal constraint.
State Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, who pushed for the measure with other members of the Philadelphia delegation, said the funding increase was "one of the brightest bright spots in an otherwise bleak budget year."
"Unfortunately, the money is badly needed," said Boyle, a Democrat who represents parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County. "This sends a signal that we're not going to allow witness intimidation anymore, and we're not going to turn a blind eye toward it."
The new state budget reverses a pattern of program cuts in recent years.
Lawmakers added $308,000 for witness relocation statewide, bringing the total to $1.2 million. The bulk of that money, about 75 percent, traditionally has gone to Philadelphia, where witness intimidation is a pervasive and growing problem, particularly in violent-crime cases.
As The Inquirer reported in a series of articles in December, prosecutors and defense attorneys say witness intimidation affects virtually every violent-crime case in the city. Criminal cases routinely collapse as fearful witness fail to show up for court or change their stories on the stand.
Philadelphia prosecutors have long complained that the city program is underfunded. While they say no witness in need of protection has been turned away, they have limited assistance to four months.
In a city where serious criminal cases can take longer than a year to go to trial, Williams and other prosecutors say a four-month limit is impractical.
Greg Rowe, chief of the legislation and policy unit of the District Attorney's Office, said the new money should allow prosecutors to assist fearful witnesses for longer periods.
Contact staff writer Nancy Phillips at 215-854-2254 or nphillips@phillynews.com.
