Witsec: Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Earley, an Edgar fact-crime award winner for Circumstantial Evidence, and Shur present a fascinating third-person account of Shur's 25-year career with the Department of Justice. Starting out as a federal attorney who recruited witnesses to take down the New York crime syndicate, Shur immediately saw the need to protect those who might testify against organized crime. After years of ardent advocacy, Shur created what would become the Witness Protection Program (WITSEC). As this book shows, WITSEC's 30-year history has been anything but tranquil. Some witnesses started up new crime syndicates or haplessly revealed their true identities. Others, wanting to remain in the spotlight, presented false testimony at congressional hearings. Still others took their indispensability as witnesses to mean they were to live forever on government subsistence checks. Additionally, Shur and WITSEC faced infighting among the federal agencies that most used the program, notably, the FBI, IRS and DEA; and the physical protection of witnesses and their families was often badly handled by a poorly organized U.S. Marshals Service. Yet WITSEC has managed to protect thousands of witnesses from certain death for having offered incriminating testimony to authorities. Since the book brazenly cheers Shur's every contribution to WITSEC, it is not the well-rounded work that it should be; nevertheless, this is an eye-opening account of a significant government program, with firsthand testimony by a woman identified only as "Witness X," who has been relocated by the program. (Feb. 4)Forecast: This BOMC alternate selection has plenty of drama and action to satisfy true-crime fans. The dramatic cover photo of a man in the dark, his outline silhouetted by light, will draw attention.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

WITSEC, or the Witness Protection Program, has alternately been praised as the key to the destruction of organized crime and damned for "buying" testimony and setting vicious criminals loose on unsuspecting communities. Here Shur, the driving force behind WITSEC for over 30 years, and journalist Earley present the history of the program, warts and all. Conceived as a way to help mob informants, WITSEC was underfunded, understaffed, and foisted on the unwilling U.S. marshals. But over the years it became much more organized and professional, even as it began to draw controversy. Some relocated criminals continued their criminal careers, families were broken up, and some noncriminal witnesses felt like criminals themselves. Included is a first-person account of the relocated wife of a mobster, who describes the terror and devastation of leaving her old life behind. While Shur's perspective is foremost, the authors bend over backward to present dissenting opinions. Overall, the impression is of a program that works staggeringly well despite its shortcomings. For all true-crime collections. Deirdre Root, Middletown P.L., OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553582437
• ISBN-13: 978-0553582437
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #203,807 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #4 in	Books > Nonfiction > Law > Procedures & Litigation > Witnesses
  #4 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Law > Procedures & Litigation > Witnesses

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Into Obscurity -- Not So Easily Accomplished!, May 20, 2002

By	Daniel J. Maloney "Daniel J. Maloney" (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: WITSEC: Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program (Hardcover)

I found WITSEC to be fascinating from cover to cover. Gerald Shur was one of the original founders of the federal Witness Protection Program. For many years, he was the lynchpin in bringing increasing levels of organization and professionalism to a once informal "make it up as you go along" experimental program.

Now retired and finally free to give an insider's view of the program and its successes and failures, Gerald Shur offers a sometimes captivatingly honest and direct chronicle of the challenges and growing pains the program went through over the years. He is able to give an honest appraisal of the good decisions and successes the program has had, and even more admirable, he is able to state and own the program's shortcomings and outright failures. I admire the fact that Shur has been able to step aside from this work that he lived and breathed for so many years and offer a fairly objective story of the program.

At one point in the book, a relocated witnesses' wife tells her own personal story. It is a touching and sad story of a woman who had to abandon herself without notice and chronicles the 25 years after she was first relocated. I cannot imagine, even after having read this book, how difficult it must be to leave one's entire identity behind in order to "become someone completely new" -- birth history, family, origins, family support systems, and familiar surroundings -- all in order to help save a partner's life or one's own! While some have been extremely critical of the purpose of the witness protection program over the years, this is no glamorous escape for criminals who would be otherwise incarcerated for their entire lives. During my reading, it sometimes struck me that the cost of giving up one's entire "life" in order to be protected is as stiff a price to pay as going to prison.

The Witness Protection program has been responsible for assisting in effectively paralyzing "organized crime" as we once knew in the United States. For over the last thirty years, this program, along with enforcement of the RICO statute and aggressive prosecution have very clearly limited the extent to which organized groups can impose their criminal behavior on others.

Peter Earley and Gerald Shur do an excellent job of providing an engaging and thoroughly entertaining chronicle of the first three decades of the Witness Protection Program from its start through its later development. In addition to its history, and a number of tales of harsh human drama, this is by no means a ponderous read. At points, as a reader I was simply howling in laughter at some of the characters that the program was expected to "protect". Even some of the agents had some extremely funny "three stooges" moments, as unintentional blunders became narrow escapes from harm's way.

Highly recommended

James J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota USA

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Balanced view of a controversial Government Program, January 29, 2002

By	Gene Coon (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: WITSEC: Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program (Hardcover)

Gerry Shur's unique story telling ability is expertly enhanced by Pete Earley's easy flowing writing style.

This book, which reads like a novel, provides the reader with and in depth look into why and how this Program was developed. Facts are laced with the right amount of anecdotal information, affording a balanced, accurate and fair portrayal of a controversial Government Program.

At times the reader may wonder if the main character of the book is Shur or Howard Safir but you quickly learn that without the leadership and innovative thinking of Safir, Shur's brainchild may have dwindled on the vine.

Pete Earley's inclusion of a mobster's wife's perspective on the Program is brilliant. It comes at just the right time in the sequence of events to allow the reader to more clearly understand the impact that this extremely effective law enforcement tool can have on the lives of those on the peripheral.

Once you begin, you won't want to put this one down.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A long read but worth it, April 13, 2005

By	XTreme Cdn (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

What an education you will recieve from reading this book. The majority of the public will never have any clue what goes on in the life of a "protected witness"or how the "system" works ... that's one of the things that drew me to the book. Is Shur slanting the story, aggrandizing his own reputation? Whatever.

*The other thing that drew me to read it ... when I was in college in Southern California many years ago - living off-campus in an apartment with two roomates (attending a small, private Christian 'Liberal Arts' College) ... our neighbor was a single mother who never seemed to go to work (???), and never left the apartment.
One day she mentioned to my roomate that she was in the "Witness Protection Program". The very next week, in the middle of the night, there were agents moving out all her stuff very quickly. She left a note under our door saying she was moving to Hawaii. The day after she was out without a trace ... some people showed up to her apartment to force their way in. They ended up crawling through my roomate's bedroom window by mistake, while he was taking a nap (the guy had a tire iron in his hand). *What was scary - was they guy was very soft-spoken, and politely apologized to my roomate for the "intrusion". They eventually forced their way in through the sliding glass door on the balcony of her apartment (the one guy actually climbed the side of the building). Of course the apartment was empty.
We had called the police ... and within MINUTES the entire complex was swarming with agents, helicopters, and police dogs. We really had no idea what was going on - or if she was telling the truth about any of her story. The book made it all come to life. My story was just like many of those in the book.

The book really summed it up: "You choose WITSEC ... when you have absolutely NO other alternative". What a tough way to live - not to mention the trade-off you make.

Highly recommended reading.