Requests for protection of witnesses must be made as soon as it is known that the Witness Security Program candidate will be a significant and essential witness and will need relocation. Because of security concerns regarding the witness and his/her family, a witness's pending or actual participation in the Program is not to be publicly disclosed without the prior authorization of OEO. It is incumbent upon each USA, Assistant United States Attorney, and the investigative agencies to present to OEO at the earliest possible time the request for authorization to place an individual in the Program. This will allow time for the USMS preliminary interview, psychological testing, appropriate review, and the actual preparation of assistance by the USMS and/or BOP, thereby minimizing the disruption both to the witness and the concerned government agencies.

United States Attorneys and Criminal Division Attorneys should transmit requests (applications) to OEO. Communications should be addressed to the Chief, Special Operations Unit, OEO, P.O. Box 7600, Washington, D.C. 20044-7600, and Program applications should be completed online. The link to obtain a Program application can be found on OEO’s Special Operations Unit’s website, accessible through DOJNet, and is included below. (For security reasons, documents containing sensitive information are not to be e-mailed to OEO.) Program requests must be signed by the USA or, in the USA's absence and pursuant to 28 C.F.R. Sec. 0.131, the Acting USA. In cases being handled by the Criminal Division, the appropriate Division Section Chief/Office Director must sign the request. All other divisions, agencies, and entities applying for Program use must contact OEO for application information and directions.

Link to Complete Program Application

http://dojnet.doj.gov/criminal/sou/

[updated March 2020]