Witness reality

You watch shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, NYPD Blue, and such, and realize that being a witness in a serious trial is not a task one takes on lightly. There’s a reason, beyond the certainty of avoiding a fickle jury, why television detectives go to the lengths of getting a confession–NYPD Blue demonstrated this clearly in an episode where the only useful eyewitness was one the squad’s little boys–and that’s because of the danger to witnesses. In fact, the NY Times has an excellent (though lengthy) article today on the killing of a witness named Bobby Gibson: Justice, Safety and the System. Certainly raises the question in my mind of what I would do if confronted with the situation.