-by Brad Peterson, Sep. 29th 2014
The FBI needs help finding a brutal killer. They seek it from local police departments, communities and advertisements that spread awareness about the fugitive.
Billboards are effective advertisements. They communicate throughout a diverse population assuring the widest possible dissemination of information. Surprised that billboards fill this role? We aren’t. For years we’ve been telling our customers that billboards are seen by thousands of people every day throughout demographically diverse communities. Every time the FBI gets a tip that leads to an arrest we thank the billboards that shared that information.
Example: Frein, 31, of Barrett Township in Monroe county is wanted in the killing of Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Bryon Dickson and wounding another trooper on September 12th. Full-color roadside digital billboards were used to post a phone number for tips and two pictures of Frein.
The FBI partners with the Outdoor Advertising Association of America and since 2008 have been posting wanted information on digital billboards in real time as investigations unfold.
These digital warning signs have resolved 53 FBI cases. How fantastic is that? Besides Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the billboards are active in Delaware, New York, Maryland and Connecticut. We want the FBI to utilize this important crime fighting tool and would welcome such a program in the Southwest.