A state advisory panel recommended funding the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office for a new push to crack down on witness intimidation. Temple law professor David Sonenshein, who chaired the panel, said that the Philadelphia criminal justice system had clearly been beset by deep problems, but that key decision-makers seemed to be fixing key issues, as indicated by such trends as a drop in dismissal rates. "The numbers are preliminary," he said, "but what I've seen is almost all positive."