Elijah Cummings: “according to today's Baltimore Sun, there have been 240 homicides in my hometown of Baltimore City, 22 more deaths than…”

“according to today's Baltimore Sun, there have been 240 homicides in my hometown of Baltimore City, 22 more deaths than this time last year. Unfortunately, many of these victims and their families will not have closure because of the inability of law enforcement to bring their killers to justice. This is due in large part to the fear that witnesses have in coming forward. Witness intimidation is a serious threat to our justice system. According to the National Institute of Justice, 51 percent of prosecutors in large jurisdictions find witness intimidation to be a major problem. In Baltimore City, it is estimated that witness intimidation occurs in 90 percent of the cases that are prosecuted. Madam Speaker, protecting witnesses is a core government function. It is standard in the Federal system, and State and local prosecutors should have the same tools. However, there is a great disparity between funding and witness services, if any, that are provided by local authorities and those of the Federal Witness Security Program within the United States Marshals Service that operates on a $40 million budget to assist 17,500 witnesses and their family members with gaining new lives, new identities, and new jobs.”