Clear Channel Outdoor has partnered with the FBI’s New York Office to highlight wanted fugitives, missing persons and high-priority security messages. CCO unveiled a digital billboard in Times Square that serves as a public service to help nab violent criminals and rescue kidnap victims missing children.
CCO and FBI Philadelphia had established a relationship when a CCO executive participated in an FBI Citizen’s Academy Class. Through efforts of that executive, CCO offered the use of digital billboards in their Philadelphia market to the FBI during October 2007. FBI Philadelphia used that resource to publicize fugitives from crimes, and that publicity led to the apprehension of two fugitives.
FBI Philadelphia and CCO then decided to explore the possibility of taking this valuable partnership to a national level. That plan was based on CCO making digital outdoor networks across the country available, without charge, to assist FBI efforts to capture fugitives and provide important law enforcement messages to the traveling public. The initiative was made official December 2007.
Clear Channel Outdoor – Spectacolor Div. President and General Manager Harry Coghlan said, "When the FBI asked us to expand our billboard program to Times Square, we agreed immediately. This important initiative will now reach the thousands of people who pass through Times Square each day. We look forward to building on the fugitives captured to date.”
The FBI currently has access to more than 1,500 billboards in more than 40 states through this initiative. At least 30 cases have been solved as a result of digital-billboard publicity, with many more cases solved as a result of an overall publicity effort. Roughly 40 field offices are participating in this initiative using the billboards of several companies. Over 430 Clear Channel digital displays in 33 U.S. Cities have the potential to be utilized by the FBI at any given time, and we have tremendous assistance from other companies throughout the country.