Department of Justice's Office of Enforcement Operations (OEO) is responsible for authorizing or approving protective services for any witness, or the immediate family of any witness, who provides testimony in a case. The decision to allow a witness to receive protective services lies with the Office of the Attorney General. The witness might also be sequestered in a secret location before and during the trial and then transitioned into their new life after the trial concludes. At these times, for example, armed guards provide physical security when the witness travels to the courthouse. Through WITSEC, witnesses also receive 24-hour protection when they actually give testimony at trial or when attending any other "high-threat" event or court proceeding. Essentially, witnesses in the program start new lives with new identities that allow them to avoid being detected by those interested in harming them. It provides documentation, housing, and assistance with basic living expenses such as medical care. WITSEC affords protection by providing witnesses and their immediate family members with new identities. The program covers witnesses involved in federal cases-that is, cases handled in federal courts or by federal investigative agencies. Marshall Service, the program began in 1971 and has protected over 18,000 witnesses and their family members since then. The federal Witness Security Program, known by the acronym WITSEC, provides witnesses and their families with protective services to ensure their health, safety, and security. These programs exist at both the federal and the state level, though the federal program is the most well known. Witness protection programs exist to ensure witness safety and protect witnesses from those who would harm them for testifying. Acting as a witness in a case can sometimes be a dangerous activity, especially when there are people who don't want you to talk.
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