Indy Council Approves $300,000 For Witness Protection Program

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — The Associated Press reports a witness protection program is being created in Indianapolis to help prosecute violent crime in the city. According to the Indianapolis Star, the Indianapolis City-County Council approved $300,000 Monday to create the program, where law enforcement agencies will be able to get money to help witnesses to crimes with bus tickets, hotel rooms, protection, relocation and more necessities.

According to IndyStar, Council President Stephen Clay said: “The worth and merit of this program is almost without debate."

Those calling for the program include Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Bryan Roach,

AP says this comes after the newspaper published an investigation in October that highlighted the funding, as the city used small, restrictive federal grants to pay for certain witness protection needs.

Mayor Joe Hogsett followed that with the announcement that Indianapolis would provide funding for a local witness protection program.

More: apnews.com, indystar.com

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