By Sharon Coolidge
Enquirer staff reporter

Alonzo Buchanan was shot at after he testified before a Hamilton County grand jury in a murder case this spring.

That shooting, he feared, was a message: You talk about what you see, you're next. And he heard it loud and clear: He didn't show up to testify in the trial as the state's star witness.

Officials eventually tracked down Buchanan and persuaded him to testify in the trial, which resumes Monday.

But his case illustrates the need for a program announced Tuesday that will try to protect witnesses who have been intimidated or threatened, authorities said.

Started with $112,000 from Hamilton County commissioners and another $38,000 from the State Attorney General's Office, the county's witness protection program is the first of its kind in Ohio, Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen said.

"In order for justice to prevail, witnesses must be protected from intimidation and be able to testify without fear of retribution," Ohio Attorney Jim Petro said.

Since 2000, 94 people have been charged with trying to intimidate a victim or witness in Hamilton County; 15 of those incidents happened in the last seven months.

The creation of the program comes at a time when Cincinnati's homicides are on the rise. To date this year, 43 people have been killed in the city, four more than at this time last year. In 2003, the city recorded a 26-year record high of 75 killings.

Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Brian Hurley looked to cities such as Philadelphia and Baltimore, which already have witness protection programs, to tailor Hamilton County's version.

Allen expects about 40 people will be given money in the program's first year to temporarily relocate. People can be relocated only when someone has been charged with intimidating them.

About 75 percent of participants will be relocated for about 30 days; some longer if necessary, Allen said. There's enough money to provide $105 a day per person.

"The goal is to get them out of harm's way," Allen said. "We'll hide them during the criminal case.

"In no way, shape or form are we saying this is a cure-all for crime in this city, but it's a step in the right direction."

E-mail scoolidge@enquirer.com