“This bill is designed to break the code of silence amongst gangbangers who are causing trouble in the streets throughout our great state,” Welch said on the House floor moments before it passed, according to a transcript of the April 2013 debate. The measure had nearly unanimous support, passing 112-0 in the House and 42-3 in the Senate. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, a Democrat from Hillside who is now the House speaker. The state’s witness protection fund was established under a 2013 law known as the Gang Crime Witness Protection Act whose chief House sponsor was state Rep. “Just the mere fact they say we’re going to relocate you to a safe neighborhood, to a safe area away from these gangs, away from the threat, that’s still a big upheaval when you’re asking somebody to do that,” said former Chicago police First Deputy Superintendent Anthony Riccio, who retired from the department in 2020. Only in rare cases do police and prosecutors relocate victims or witnesses out of concern for their safety, and law enforcement officials have acknowledged that moving victims or witnesses away from danger, and away from the families, friends or their jobs, can be complicated. But it will certainly help counties that struggle with that issue.” Is this $30 million going to help counties statewide? No. “I think that witness intimidation is certainly more of a concern in the larger counties. “Generally, anything that helps more victims and witnesses, obviously, state’s attorneys are all for that,” said Gray Noll, the state’s attorney of downstate Morgan County who also heads the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association.
In the 1990s, Illinois ran a witness protection program for two years and saw little participation. But the degree of demand for it is unclear. Several law enforcement agencies contacted by the Tribune said they’d welcome large-scale state funding for witness protection efforts. During that time, the program managed 114 new cases and provided help to 124 witnesses and 161 of their family members, according to the report.
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