History Main / WitlessProtectionProgram

In fiction, if someone is placed under witness protection, they might as well have just pasted a huge "KILL ME" sign on their back because chances are [[RuleOfDrama that character is going down]] courtesy of the perpetrator, in spite of all the odds. Exactly how the bad guy finds these people regardless of all their records being virtually erased is rarely ever brought up. Perhaps the perp had some help [[InsideJob from the inside]]? Or maybe the perp has supernatural abilities that aided their search. Or maybe the people who are ''supposed'' to be keeping their identities secret aren't that good at doing their job. Or perhaps they just happen to be a ScarilyCompetentTracker. Or maybe the witnesses blow their cover by being TooDumbToLive. Perhaps the perp [[ContrivedCoincidence just stumbled upon the witness by random happenstance]]. Or maybe they are just ''[[InexplicablyAwesome that]]'' good [[InvincibleVillain at being criminals]]. Whatever the case, [[{{Determinator}} they will find a way to get to these witnesses]], government protection be damned (and the more law enforcement officials that physically get in the way to try to stop them, [[CopKiller the bloodier]] it's [[CurbStompBattle going]] to [[FoeTossingCharge get]]).

In fiction, if someone is placed under witness protection, they might as well have just pasted a huge "KILL ME" sign on their back because chances are [[RuleOfDrama that character is going down]] courtesy of the perpetrator, in spite of all the odds. Exactly how the bad guy finds these people regardless of all their records being virtually erased is rarely ever brought up. Perhaps the perp had some help [[InsideJob from the inside]]? Or maybe the perp has supernatural abilities that aided their search. Or maybe the people who are ''supposed'' to be keeping their identities secret aren't that good at doing their job. Or perhaps they just happen to be a ScarilyCompetentTracker. Or maybe the witnesses blow their cover by being TooDumbToLive. Or perhaps the perp [[ContrivedCoincidence just stumbled upon the witness by random happenstance]]. Whatever the case, [[{{Determinator}} they will find a way to get to these witnesses]], government protection be damned.

* ''Literature/{{Recoil}}'' by Creator/BrianGarfield involves an attorney who went into witness protection after witnessing a mobster bribe a judge. Nine years later, the mobster's associates have tracked him down. However, this is not presented as easy — they find a clerk who can be blackmailed because she's a lesbian (the book was written in 1977), and then she has to find the right file. Later, after the hit on the attorney fails and the clerk is arrested, the mobster's [[LadyMacbeth wife]] comes up with the idea of sending in a professional burglary team to steal ''all'' the files, causing chaos and making everyone afraid to turn evidence for the government. Fortunately, the mobster never has a chance to carry out this plan, the attorney having purchased the help of a VigilanteMan.

* In ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest 2'', escaped convict Jessie Bains is [[RageAgainstTheLegalSystem getting his revenge]] against the protagonist Sonny Bonds, the cop who arrested him, and the three witnesses who testified against him. One of the witnesses, Donald Colby, is under Witness Protection, and Bonds even gets a warning to him and the police of the city Colby is in. Nevertheless, Bains manages to kill the witness. Of course, it didn't help that Colby still used his real name and even opened a business under it, allowing Bains to easily track him.

The [[WitnessProtection Witness Protection Program]] serves to, well, protect witnesses to crimes in order to prevent perpetrators from… [[LeaveNoWitnesses cleaning up after themselves]], in a way. To put it simply, in case [[HeKnowsTooMuch the perp has ideas to eliminate the witnesses in question]], the Witness Protection Program will take those witnesses and officially alter all their records and form new identities plus have them [[SentIntoHiding move to another location]] in order to make them virtually impossible to track by the offenders. In RealLife, the program tends to be fairly successful in granting these people the security they need because there are multiple levels of protection and doesn't have to be a new identity, such as adding restrictions on who can read normally public records. In fiction, however… that's another story.

In fiction, if someone is placed under witness protection, they might as well have just pasted a huge "KILL ME" sign on their back because chances are [[RuleOfDrama that character is going down]] courtesy of the perpetrator, in spite of all the odds. Exactly how the bad guy finds these people regardless of all their records being virtually erased is rarely ever brought up. Perhaps the perp had some help [[InsideJob from the inside]]? Or maybe the perp has supernatural abilities that aided their search. Or maybe the people who are [=SUPPOSED=] to be keeping their identities secret aren't that good at doing their job. Or perhaps they just happen to be a ScarilyCompetentTracker. Or maybe the witnesses blow their cover by being TooDumbToLive. Or perhaps the perp [[ContrivedCoincidence just stumbled upon the witness by random happenstance]]. Whatever the case, [[TheDeterminator they will find a way to get to these witnesses]], government protection be damned.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', Chris becomes a witness in a robbery and anonymously sends the thief to prison; however, his identity is spilled to the robber twice by both Peter when he wanders into the wrong room looking for his son, and also by the FBI when they give the robber the Griffin family's new address in Dixie.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', Bender has to go into witness protection after he agrees to testify against the robot mafia. The detective in charge of the case directly tells Bender that the mob will find and kill him. Bender survives only because the mob mistook a similar-looking robot for Bender. No credit to the detective, though — his 'relocating' of Bender consisted of getting Bender a job at the pizza place across the street from his previous employer.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Cape Feare" is a WholePlotReference to ''Film/CapeFear'' and as such the program does not work out. Sideshow Bob threatens Bart to kill him, so the family decides to go into witness protection until Bob is sent back to prison. The relocation agents name the family the Thompsons and tell them they'll leave Springfield to [[StartingANewLife begin a new life]] in [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Terror Lake]]. The family drives to Terror Lake and move into a houseboat, believing they are safe from Bob. Bob, however, has belted himself [[UndersideRide to thes bottom of their car]]. In Terror Lake, Bob resumes his threats to Bart.
* Paramount's "Mike the Masquerader" featured a rather dim elephant who is entered into a witness protection program. While carrying a body advertisement sign, he collides with Mike, who had just robbed a bank. The police think they have a cut-and-dried case as [[ElephantsNeverForget "an elephant never forgets"]]. Mike tries (in disguises) to eliminate the elephant who is holed up in a hotel room surrounded by police. After failed attempts on his life, the elephant now doesn't recognize Mike. He admits his memory is so lousy he has to keep his memories on a tape recorder, and he happened to record Mike saying "Don't you remember me bumpin' into you when I robbed that bank?" which he played back to the police.

* Paramount's "Mike the Masquerader" featured a rather dim elephant who is entered into a witness protection program. While carrying a body advertisement sign, he collides with Mike, who had just robbed a bank. The police think they have a cut-and-dried case as [[ElephantsNeverForget "an elephant never forgets"]]. Mike tries (in disguises) to eliminate the elephant who is holed up in a hotel room surrounded by police. After failed attempts on his life, the elephant now doesn't recognize Mike. He admits his memory is so lousy he has to keep them on a tape recorder, and he happened to record Mike saying "Don't you remember me bumpin' into you when I robbed that bank?" which he played back to the police.

* Paramount's "Mike the Masquerader" featured a rather dim elephant who is entered into a witness protection program. While carrying a body advertisement sign, he collides with Mike, who had just robbed a bank. The police think they have a cut-and-dried case as [[ElephantsNeverForget "an elephant never forgets"]]. Mike tries (in disguises) to eliminate the elephant who holed up in a hotel room surrounded by police. After failed attempts on his life, the elephant now doesn't recognize Mike. He admits his memory is so lousy he has to keep them on a tape recorder, and he happened to record Mike saying "Don't you remember me bumpin' into you when I robbed that bank?" which he played back to the police.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Cape Feare" is a WholePlotReference to ''Film/CapeFear'' and as such the program does not work out. Sideshow Bob threatens Bart to kill him, so the family decides to go into witness protection until Bob is sent back to prison. The relocation agents name the family the Thompsons and tell them they'll leave Springfield to [[StartingANewLife begin a new life]] in [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Terror Lake]]. The family drives to Terror Lake and move into a houseboat, believing they are safe from Bob. Bob, however, has belted himself [[UndersideRide to the bottom of their car]]. In Terror Lake, Bob resumes his threats to Bart.

Sometimes, [[AssassinOutclassin the witness will be lucky enough to survive the inevitable attempt on their life]] (usual reason being them being a [[PlotArmor main character]]), but that still means the witness protection failed; the perp found them anyway. Fortunately, should the witness survive, what usually follows is either the bad guy getting killed and the witness being able to return to their old identity (which isn't possible in RealLife witness protection), or the bad guy getting incarcerated, which usually only [[CardboardPrison delays their]] [[WeWillMeetAgain inevitable return]].