NORFOLK, Va. — Written among the hundreds of items in Virginia’s now updated budget is a new tool at the disposal of Virginia's Commonwealth's Attorneys and local law enforcement agencies.
"You can investigate a case to the ends of the earth, but if people don’t work with them, police aren’t magicians,” Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi told 13News Now.
Earlier this September, Virginia lawmakers came together in Richmond to pass an update to their two-year budget. Some of the biggest takeaways from the compromise deal were increased education spending, one-time tax rebates, and the reinstatement of a back-to-school sales tax holiday.
Additionally, tucked within funding for the Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security is a $1 million line item that allocates funding for a statewide witness protection program:
The purpose of the grant program is to support witnesses and their families who may be in danger because of their cooperation with the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes. Grant awards shall be used to provide time-limited assistance of up to 90 days to witnesses to defray the costs associated with their ability to safely serve as a witness including, but not limited to, lodging, medical, transportation, food, and relocation expenses.
“The public in general thinks there have always been resources in place in place to protect victims and witnesses. Just like the public generally thinks there are no kids who go to school hungry, and every kid who needs food at school gets it. They don't," Fatehi said. “We assume as the richest country in the world we have these resources, which we do. We also assume we allocate these resources, which we don’t.”
The item goes on to read the application process for the funding must include "the Virginia State Police, Office of the Attorney General, Virginia Sheriffs' Association, Virginia Association of the Chiefs of Police, Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys and other appropriate stakeholders."
What could it be used for?
While there are other similar avenues of funding related to supporting those impacted by crimes, Fatehi said this differs in that it's specifically meant to combat witness intimidation or perceived potential threats for individuals cooperating with the investigation or prosecution of a crime.
"The hope I have is not just more convictions in court, it’s more people coming forward to help police make the arrest to get the case moving forward," he explained.
Already in existence is a Virginia Crime Victim-Witness Fund, receiving more than $5 million from the allocated budget according to the most recent budget.
Fatehi said that the purposes of that fund are more logistical rather than specifically witness intimidation.
“[The Virginia Crime Victim-Witness Fund] is logistical support of victims and witnesses, like booking travel if they’re from out of town or connecting them with resources to pay medical bills. That’s called a victim witness assistance program. But people hear 'victim witness assistance' they think that’s witness protection," he said.
Fatehi would like to see dollars appropriated toward more localized efforts to make local residents feel comfortable coming forward with information they can relay to either police or prosecutors.
“My wish list... it doesn’t mean for every case we need to move someone across the country and change their identity. There are 'small ball' things, things that may seem minor to the average person, like a 12-month subscription to a burglar alarm, or a Ring camera hooked up. Pay to put them in a hotel for a couple of weeks. They say, 'I don’t feel safe in city X but I do 30 minutes away,' and we can provide a moving van. You can do a lot with $1 million," he added.
Fatehi also "gave credit where credit is due" to lawmakers across both sides of the aisle as well as Gov. Glenn Youngkin for getting this item in the budget.