Hello,

I'm a writer doing research for a fiction novel and stumbled across this website - hope someone can help me! :)

I have a few questions about the witness protection program. First off, can a noncriminal be placed into the program? Every website I've looked at so far has only mentioned criminals being placed into the program. If someone was merely a bystander or an innocent accomplice - say, a secretary or a coworker to a criminal - could they be placed into the Witness Protection Program?

Second, do they always relocate someone to a big city? Or if that person was a "big-city" type of person, would it be reasonable for them to relocate them to a smaller, possibly rural area?

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it!!

Hello there,

I can only answer part of your question - if non criminals are ever placed in the witness protection program. Yes, they can. For example, a witness to a crime. I once lived in an apartment complex where the managers (it came out later after the trial) were placed in that city under the witness protection program. They were both attorneys, the husband being one of the attorneys who had blown a whistle, so to speak.

The other part, about relocating to a rural area, I cannot say. It might be all possible.

Good luck in your research!

Hello I will try and help with some information, In my previoius years I worked for a training program that trained some witness protection people for new jobs. ( in addition to some job training for federal inmates)

In this I will say the worst day of that job was when a old family friend was sitting in my office and I called him by name ( he was there for witness protection, no one cross referenced that we knew each other.

But of course the high majority of witness protection people in the Federal Relocation system are criminals, since to really know the dirt on someone enough to put high profile people away, most likely you are dirty somewhat and guilty of something.

1. yes non criminals can be placed in the program
But you say co-worker, or by stander, remember this is not for someone who just saw a bank robber or someone who knew someone who was a white collar criminal who took money from their company.

This is for people who because of the connection to a drug cortel or a crimiinal family, and this information will get someone high enough up in that group to be worth the expense that they do this.

And actually no, most that I ever knew much about went to small towns.
A lot of the things we taught was jobs in sewing factories, printing, plumbing or electric work.

And the biggest thing is that they can not ever, never, ever, contact anyone from their family, no calling mom, dad, sister, brother, cousins, if your dad dies, you may never know it, and if you do, you can't go to the funeral.

They want you to change habits, if your family is from small town america, you don't subscribe to that cities newspaper, if you like to go to motorcross, you don't ever go back to that sort of activity,
So for the person, that threat on their life has to be big for them to be willing to do that.

And they don't pay you for the rest of your life, after the trial is over, and you have a job with your new ID, you are just that new person, and can call if you have a problem, but their help is basically over at that point.

My wife's on a wpp and she's never been in trouble with police,just wrong place at wrong time.most people start in small villabe or town.