[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 194 (Wednesday, November 29, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMENDING THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE FBI AND DIGITAL 
                               BILLBOARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 29, 2017

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an effective 
public-private partnership used to put fugitives behind bars.
   For the last ten years, the FBI has partnered with outdoor 
advertisers in the search for the nation's most wanted criminals. The 
partnership started in my state of Pennsylvania in 2007, Mr. Speaker, 
where a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy suggested digital 
billboards be donated to local law enforcement to aid in the 
apprehension of fugitives. After initial success in Pennsylvania, the 
concept grew to what it is now a nationwide partnership where the FBI 
is able to relay and receive critical crime-fighting information with 
the general public at no cost to taxpayers. In the 10 years of the 
partnership's history, tips from the public generated directly from 
billboards have resolved 57 FBI cases.
   Seven years after the program began in Pennsylvania, it was used 
prominently in one of the largest manhunts in recent history. In 2014, 
Pennsylvanians were on high alert after a man opened fire on a state 
police barracks, killing one state trooper and injuring another. The 
suspect quickly fled into the woods, and local communities were 
terrorized by a killer on the loose. The FBI, in partnership with the 
Outdoor Advertising Association of America, plastered the suspect's 
picture and the number for their tip line on hundreds of billboards 
across Pennsylvania and five other states. The manhunt would continue 
for 48 days until Eric Frein's arrest, and Pennsylvanians were given 
the peace of mind and sense of safety when hundreds of billboards were 
updated to proudly say ``CAPTURED.''
   Mr. Speaker, as this effective public-private partnership enters its 
next decade, I commend the FBI and outdoor advertisers for finding a 
creative solution to fight crime and keep our streets safe.

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