[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 57 (Wednesday, April 21, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          FBI USING DIGITAL BILLBOARDS AS CRIME-FIGHTING TOOL

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                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 2010

  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, before coming to the Congress, I served 
seven and one-half years as a Criminal Court Judge in Knoxville, TN. 
During this time I tried numerous felony cases, therefore, I have taken 
a special interest in law enforcement activities.
  Some people make the claim that ``there aren't any new ideas,'' but 
rather recycled, re-packaged old ideas.
  I would like to call your attention to the fact that the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has taken an old idea and made it better.
  In the 1950s and 1960s when most us were growing up, the FBI would 
put up little photographs inside the Post Office of its ``Most Wanted'' 
list. The idea was that someone buying stamps or mailing a package 
would recognize a wanted fugitive, and contact the authorities.
  Nowadays, the FBI is using donated high-tech billboards to publicize 
fugitives and to ask for help from the public. The results have been 
dramatic, especially in my State of Tennessee.
  In 2009, a fellow was robbing banks in Tennessee and other states. He 
was so brazen that he did not bother to wear a mask or to conceal his 
weapon. For four months, the authorities worked to identify this serial 
robber.
  However, within 24 hours of the suspect's image appearing on digital 
billboards in multiple States, law enforcement got plenty of tips, 
identified the fugitive, and later apprehended him in Missouri.
  The FBI special agent in charge in Knoxville said this case 
highlights the importance of cooperation between law enforcement and 
citizens on behalf of public safety.
  Encouraged by the success of catching a serial bank robber suspect 
last year, the FBI is using digital billboards again to identify the 
``Granddad Bandit,'' suspected in 18 bank robberies in Tennessee and 
other States.
  On February 17, the FBI announced that digital billboards helped 
capture an FBI fugitive in northern New Jersey.
  Besides the FBI, other law enforcement agencies are also using this 
tactic. The U.S. Marshal based in the Northern District of Ohio said he 
was impressed with the speed, the reach, and the effectiveness of 
digital billboards. A sex offender who escaped from a halfway house in 
Mansfield, OH, was arrested within 24 hours after his picture was 
posted on digital billboards in multiple States.
  I applaud these federal law enforcement agencies for innovative use 
of technology to empower the public to help protect our safety. I'll 
always remember those thumbnail pictures of the ``most wanted'' at the 
Post Office. But now I'll also be looking for fugitives' photos on 14- 
by 48-foot digital billboards.

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