Washington, D.C. - July 14, 2004 - U.S. Representative Mike Doyle (PA-14) announced today that he has secured $98,948 in federal funding for the City of Pittsburgh's Bureau of Police's witness protection program.

"The City's witness protection plan is an essential component in police efforts to improve public safety by putting violent criminals behind bars," Congressman Doyle said. "I am glad that I was able to help make Pittsburgh a safer place."

This funding was included in H.R. 2673, the Fiscal Year 2004 Consolidated Omnibus Appropriations bill providing the money needed to operate many of the federal government agencies this year. This legislation was signed into law (P.L. 108-199) in January. The funding was provided under the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance Congressionally Mandated Awards program.

"Federal assistance to local law enforcement officials in economically distressed communities like Pittsburgh can have a dramatic positive impact on the quality of life in those communities," Congressman Doyle added. "That's why I have been fighting for increased funding for first responders like our police and firefighters. The need for such assistance has also grown substantially as local first responders are called upon to take on new responsibilities like responding to terrorist attacks and weapons of mass destruction."

The City of Pittsburgh Police Bureau's Witness Protection Program assists the City in protecting its many diverse neighborhoods by working in partnership with citizens in those neighborhoods to identify criminal suspects and bring them to trial. It was established in 1994 in order to address problems encountered by individuals who voluntarily stepped forward to provide testimony in homicides and aggravated assaults of a life-threatening nature. The Pittsburgh Witness Protection Program provides a wide range of services to witnesses - including short-term relocation, daily meal allowances, and other relocation expenditures.

"When the City came to me and asked for federal funding for its witness protection program, I understood right away that such assistance could help significantly in reducing violent crime in Pittsburgh," Congressman Doyle said today. "Consequently, I worked hard to secure such funding, and I am pleased to announce today that the City will receive it shortly."