The FBI on Digital Billboards
Opening a Clear Channel
The FBI on Digital Billboards
| Going digital: thanks to a partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor, FBI fugitives and missing persons will begin appearing on billboards like these in 20 cities nationwide. |
12/26/07
Coming soon to 20 major cities nationwide: our wanted fugitives, missing persons, and high-priority security messages flashing across large digital billboards in strategic locations where they can be seen by millions driving by each day.
The initiative—announced on Monday following a successful campaign in Philadelphia—is made possible through a partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor, an advertising company that’s providing the space as a public service.
The billboards will enable us to highlight those who we’re looking for the most in a given area: violent criminals, kidnap victims, missing kids, bank robbers, even terrorists. And we’ll be able to feature them quickly—right after a crime is committed, a child is taken, or an attack is launched.
It all started…when our community outreach specialist in Philadelphia—Natosha Gale—struck up a conversation with Barbara Bridge, a graduate of our Citizens’ Academy who happened to be a Vice President at Clear Channel Outdoor.
Thanks to that partnership, we launched our first billboard wanted flyers in the Philadelphia area on September 13, with crystal-clear images of 11 of our most violent fugitives on eight billboards and a 24-hour hotline for the public to call.
The billboards paid quick public safety dividends. In October, two fugitives were captured as a direct result of the publicity. And, when Philadelphia Police Officer Charles Cassidy was tragically killed on October 31 while responding to an armed robbery, working with the Philadelphia Police Department we were quickly able to publicize the suspect on each of its billboards. The suspect was later captured in Florida.
Thanks to Clear Channel, in the coming days the following 20 metropolitan areas, representing 17 FBI field offices, will begin publicizing their own fugitives and urgent information on a total of 150 billboards:
- Akron
- Albuquerque
- Atlanta
- Chicago
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Des Moines
- El Paso
- Indianapolis
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Newark
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Tampa
- Wichita
The eyes have it. Of course, the success of this initiative rests with you. If you recognize one of the fugitives while driving by a billboard (and please drive safely!), please call the posted number as soon as you can after stopping.
Note: The fugitive pictured here may no longer be wanted by law enforcement. Please visit the Wanted by the FBI website or contact your local FBI office for updated information.