An all-points bulletin (APB) is an electronic information broadcast sent from one sender to a group of recipients, to rapidly communicate an important message.
[Reiter, E. (1970). Police strive to provide protection machines lend valuable assistance. Rotunda. 48(9) 1–3.] The technology used to send this broadcast has varied throughout time, and includes
teletype
A teleprinter (teletypewriter, teletype or TTY) is an electromechanical device that can be used to send and receive typed messages through various communications channels, in both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint configurations. Initia ...
, radio,
computerised bulletin board systems (CBBS), and the Internet.
The earliest known record of the all-points bulletin is when used by United States police, which dates the term to 1947. Although, used in the field of policing at the time, the APB has had usage in fields such as politics, technology and science research. However, since the 21st century, due to advances in technology, all-points bulletins have become significantly less common and are now only primarily used by police departments in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Technological functionality
Pre-21st century
The functionality of all-points bulletins was based on the latest advances in computer
network
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematics
...
ing at the time, developed in the 1940s and continuing evolution through to the 1970s. Different from e-mail or
teleconferencing
A teleconference is the live exchange of information among several people remote from one another but linked by a telecommunications system. Terms such as audio conferencing, telephone conferencing and phone conferencing are also sometimes used t ...
, which are designed for limited list of recipients, all-points bulletins were digital message "broadcast systems".
[Rafaeli, S. (1984). The electronic bulletin board: A computer-driven mass medium. Social Science Micro Review, 2(3), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/089443938600200302] It is described that "each message placed on
n APBis intended for a wide audience", and they were some of the first technologies which could do so in an efficient and effective manner.
Users access these all-points bulletins "through
terminals or
microcomputers
A microcomputer is a small, relatively inexpensive computer having a central processing unit (CPU) made out of a microprocessor. The computer also includes memory and input/output (I/O) circuitry together mounted on a printed circuit board (PC ...
by dialling in over dedicated or general-purpose telecommunication lines". The APB then show messages that will be readable for the users of the system, and in some systems, users are able to attach their own messages similar to a virtual bulletin board.
Consequently, messages would not only be able to be seen by the sender, but also by subsequent users of the digital bulletin system, who could also add their own information and messages to this bulletin. Users were thus able to build information upon one another, enabling for discussion of ideas and information between individuals in society from despite using different computers in different locations.
[Garramone, G. M., Harris, A. C., & Anderson, R. (1986). Uses of political computer bulletin boards. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 30(3), 325–339, DOI: 10.1080/08838158609386627]
However, in regard to the technical functionality of the computerised bulletin systems, there is a lack of significant research on the technical construction and development of these terminals and computers; so modern knowledge of the technicalities of these older all-points bulletin systems is restricted.
In the 21st century
The modern, 21st Century technological evolution of the all-points bulletin is mainly only used in the world of policing.
Police officers will use
computers
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These programs ...
, both at the
police-station and fitted in their vehicles, connected to a private police
intranet
An intranet is a computer network for sharing information, easier communication, collaboration tools, operational systems, and other computing services within an organization, usually to the exclusion of access by outsiders. The term is used in c ...
, to access APBs. Other forms of media that perform similar functions to APBs include
smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
apps and
internet web pages.
Besides in the field of policing, APBs are almost completely out of use in 21st century society. Due to the rapid evolution of the internet and other technology beginning in the early 2000s, the all-points Bulletin is becoming an increasingly less useful method of communicating messages, and less information is being published about it.
Uses
Policing
![Boston Police staff working at computer (10086196513)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Boston_Police_staff_working_at_computer_%2810086196513%29.jpg)
In the field of policing, an all-points bulletin contains an important message about a suspect or item of interest, which officers may be in search for. They are primarily used for individuals who are classified as dangerous and for crimes of high priority.
In these fields, the APB may also be known as a BOLO, for "be on (the) look-out".
In the "event the radio is not a viable means for transmitting data (i.e., radio traffic is busy)", the police officer will use the digital all-points bulletin. The officer enters the same exact information into the mobile
computer terminal
A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that can be used for entering data into, and transcribing data from, a computer or a computing system. The teletype was an example of an early-day hard-copy terminal and ...
. By doing this, they are able to make the message equivalent to a radio message, with the same codes. This allows the same automated information to be gathered by other police officers who are receiving the bulletin.
Catching wanted fugitives
In 1970,
Farmville
''FarmVille'' is a series of agriculture-simulation social network game developed and published by Zynga in 2009. It is similar to ''Happy Farm'' and ''Farm Town''. Its gameplay involves various aspects of farmland management, such as plowing l ...
Police department in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, United States, reported about their implementation of the all-points bulletin (APB) system beginning in 1968.
If a stolen car was reported, officers would send out a radio broadcast to all patrol cars and to various other stations within a certain radius. In relatively short time, the message can be relayed around the state. However, after the introduction of the bulletin, the similar function can be done, but faster. Police can send out an APB that will reach thirteen states, through the use of
teletype
A teleprinter (teletypewriter, teletype or TTY) is an electromechanical device that can be used to send and receive typed messages through various communications channels, in both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint configurations. Initia ...
.
Officers also used the APB if they were required to notify individuals about the death of family members.
In 1973, in
Oglala
The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live o ...
, South Dakota, two FBI agents and a
Native American Indian
Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and #Terminology differences, other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States (Indigenous peopl ...
activist were killed.
"Five months after a firelight at Oglala, an all-points bulletin was issued by the
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
for a motorhome and a station wagon carrying federal fugitives". The bulletin cautioned, "Do not stop, but advise FBI." Soon after the bulletin was released, the vehicles were located, and the fugitives were arrested.
Finding missing persons
![X-ray_of_a_human_skull,_England,_1901-1930_Wellcome_L0059386](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/X-ray_of_a_human_skull%2C_England%2C_1901-1930_Wellcome_L0059386.jpg)
In 1967, Los Angeles County Road Department discovered parts of a human skeleton in the Angeles National Forest.
The department issued an all-points bulletin with a thorough description of the skeleton, using
x-ray
An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...
data and
autopsy
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...
, which received numerous responses from various missing persons bureaus. From this, Police Department records showed that a person of similar description was reported to have disappeared on 19 March 1966. After several follow-ups with hospitals using x-rays and medical records, the remains were confirmed to be that person and the case was closed.
Counter-terrorism
The all-points bulletin was used months prior to the 9/11 attacks in the US with regards to terrorism. Prior to the 9/11 attacks, for 21 months, the CIA had identified "two terrorists" living in the United States.
[Rosen, J. (2001). Media Smackdown! (Free Press). American Journalism Review, 23(10), 14+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A81389460/AONE?u=usyd&sid=googleScholarFullText&xid=fce357ea] After an all-points bulletin was later issued for the men on 23 August 2001 for the police to track the men, it was insufficient time for the police to track the men.
Alternate versions
In Australia, a similar, longer acronym for the all-points bulletin that is used by New South Wales and Victoria Police law enforcement is KALOF or KLO4 (for "keep a look-out for").
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
used to use BOLF (be on the lookout for), and now, with Western Australia Police, use BOLO ('bol-lo'). The United Kingdom uses a similar system known as the all-ports warning or APW, which circulates a suspect's description to airports, ports and international railway stations to detect an offender or suspect leaving the country. Due to the high numbers of commuters at such places, British police forces often use the all-points warning to contact specific airports, ports or stations and circulate descriptions individually using all-points bulletins.
Politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
All-points bulletins have been used in politics, where users are able to leave messages, read messages left by others previously, and respond to others' messages. In 1986, the electronic all-points bulletins were being used by politicians as another means of communicating with voters.
Politicians would use APBs "to inform
constituents about their recent activities and how they stand on selected issues", improving their "interactive capability" with the
electorate
Electorate may refer to:
* The people who are eligible to vote in an election, especially their number e.g. the term ''size of (the) electorate''
* The dominion of a Prince-elector
The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, ...
.
Additionally, APBs had functioning two-way communication systems, where voters were able to write messages back to the politicians via the computer keyboard.
This enabled voters to respond to politicians about their own stances on certain issues and to engage in digital discussions with one another and also the politicians. This ability to discuss ideas and politics without being in-person was previously not done before in political history.
Due to this and other "additional unique features", political APBs simply offered new abilities that platforms traditional media such as newspapers and televisions at the time could not and opened new doors for politicians.
However, overall access to political APBs was very limited, with
CompuServe
CompuServe (CompuServe Information Service, also known by its initialism CIS) was an American online service provider, the first major commercial one in the world – described in 1994 as "the oldest of the Big Three information services (the oth ...
(leading digital APB provider) having 150,000 subscribers and the
penetration rate for personal computers reached 14% in 1984.
[Levy, S. (1984). Personal computers: 'Big blue' calls the tune. Channels of communications: The essential 1985 field guide to the electronic media (pp. 14–15). New York: Media Commentary Council]
Environment
![Nevada_desert](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Nevada_desert.jpg)
All-points bulletins have been used by US counties to aid in environmental management. The
Winnemucca office of the
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
frequently uses all-points bulletins to communicate messages about their local desert ranges.
In January 2003, the bureau had put out an all-points bulletin regarding missing
cheatgrass
''Bromus tectorum'', known as downy brome, drooping brome or cheatgrass, is a winter annual grass native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and northern Africa, but has become invasive in many other areas. It now is present in most of Europe, southe ...
and the fields. It was regarded as "quite worrisome" that the cheatgrass had suddenly been disappearing, since it is a dominant plant in Nevada, and protects the soil from erosion.
Following months of research and exploration, Cindy Salo, PhD was able to identify that the most likely cause of cheatgrass disappearing in Nevada was the rise in
Cutworm
Cutworms are moth larvae that hide under litter or soil during the day, coming out in the dark to feed on plants. A larva typically attacks the first part of the plant it encounters, namely the stem, often of a seedling, and consequently cuts it ...
s that were consuming the cheatgrass.
Medical discovery
In search of a gene linked to a poorly known bone disease known as
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (; FOP; also called Münchmeyer disease and formerly called myositis ossificans progressiva or Stoneman disease) is an extremely rare connective tissue disease in which fibrous connective tissue such as mus ...
(FOP), scientist
Fred Kaplan PhD issued an internet-based all-points bulletin to doctors worldwide asking for any families with FOP to go to him for study.
He did this via online articles and electronic mail. In response to the bulletin, Kaplan and his team were able to obtain 50 willing patients to run their experimentation with. Eventually, he and his team were in fact able to identify the gene responsible, known as the
ACVR1
Activin A receptor, type I (ACVR1) is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ''ACVR1'' gene; also known as ALK-2 (activin receptor-like kinase-2). ACVR1 has been linked to the 2q23-24 region of the genome. This protein is important in the bo ...
mutation.
This would go on to allow deeper research about the disease, and potentially allow for the development of a treatment for the disease.
Future
![DNA_orbit_animated](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/DNA_orbit_animated.gif)
In May 2010, Medical editor Christine Soares proposed that a "modern all-points bulletin" may take the shape of what is known as
forensic profiling
Forensic profiling is the study of trace evidence in order to develop information which can be used by police authorities. This information can be used to identify suspects and convict them in a court of law.
The term "forensic" in this context ...
. This technology would allow police detectives to describe a suspect's
pigmentation
A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...
, ancestry, and likelihood of being obese, a smoker, or an alcoholic.
Far beyond using
DNA "fingerprints" to link an individual to a crime scene, it would enhance police ability to develop sketches of unknown persons by reading traits inscribed in their DNA.
In 2020, established
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
Professor
Jonathan Zittrain
Jonathan L. Zittrain (born December 24, 1969) is an American professor of Internet law and the George Bemis Professor of International Law at Harvard Law School. He is also a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, a professor of computer scie ...
published speculations about future evolution of the all-points bulletin. Zittrain argues that in the future, the act of sending out an all-points bulletin will be take the form of "asking millions of distributed
scanners
''Scanners'' is a 1981 Canadian science fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neill, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan. In the film, "scanners" are psychics with unusual telepathic ...
to check for a particular identity and summon police if found".
[Zittrain, J. (2008). Ubiquitous human computing. Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 366(1881), 3813–3821. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2008.0116]
See also
*
Amber Alert
An Amber Alert (alternatively styled AMBER alert) or a child abduction emergency alert ( SAME code: CAE) is a message distributed by a child abduction alert system to ask the public for help in finding abducted children. The system originated i ...
*
National Crime Information Center
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is the United States' central database for tracking crime-related information. The NCIC has been an information sharing tool since 1967. It is maintained by the Criminal Justice Information Services Di ...
*
Victim Notification System
A Victim Notification System (VNS), Crime Victim Notification (CVN), or Statewide Automated Victim Notification Service (SAVNS), is a computer-controlled system by which victims of federal crimes are informed about the release of or the escape of t ...
*
Wanted poster
A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...
References
{{reflist
Law enforcement terminology
Telecommunications