ACTIVEBOLO
ActiveBOLO

Every Officer. Every Alert. Seconds After It's Posted.

Active BOLO replaces the e-mailed wanted flyer with a push to every phone in your agency: Wanted, Missing Persons, Persons and Vehicles of Interest, Extra Passes and Officer Safety, with the photo, the map and one tap to report a sighting or an arrest.

Request SetupPilots are free. Built by a working deputy, for working deputies.
The Active BOLO feed on an iPhone, showing the DEMO agency's sample bulletins
  1. 4:10 PM

    A nine-year-old walks away from a park.

  2. 4:11 PM

    Every officer in the agency has her photo, her clothing and a pin on the map.

  3. 4:38 PM

    A deputy two streets over taps Located, and every phone says so.

Try a Bulletin

Pick a type, report a sighting, then close it the way an officer would. These are the sample cases every new agency starts with, exactly as the app shows them. The people are made up and the pictures are illustrations.

Wanted2609-3101
John A. Doe
Aggravated Battery · 2019 Black Dodge / Ram Charger Sedan · LA XYZ 789
ActiveUse cautionSampleSample Data · just now
DOB
03-14-1991
Height / Weight
5'11" · 185 lbs
Hair / Eyes
Brown / Brown
Marks
Tattoo, left forearm
If Located
Arrest on warrant
Last seen: 1200 block of Elm St0 sightings

    Why Active BOLO Exists

    At most agencies a BOLO is an e-mail with a PDF attached. Here is what that costs on the street.

    Today, by E-mailWith Active BOLO
    Getting It OutA dispatcher composes an e-mail and sends it to whoever is on duty. Minutes.Posted once from a phone or a desk. Every officer has it in seconds.
    Is It Still Active?Cancellations arrive as more e-mails. Nobody knows which bulletins still stand.Cancelled, closed or in custody updates every phone. The feed shows only what is active.
    Three Weeks LaterDig through the inbox. Nothing in a PDF can be searched: not the name, not the plate, not the tattoo.Search a name, nickname, partial plate, scar or street.
    In the Wood LineThe officer searches in the rain for a person no one has a photo of.Dispatch pushes the photo in seconds.

    Another Tool, Not a Replacement. Active BOLO does not replace dispatch, the radio, CAD or your records system. It puts the bulletin, the photo and the map in every officer's hand and keeps them current.

    See It in the App

    These are real screens from the Active BOLO app, signed in to the demo agency. What you see here is what your officers will see.

    The feed: every active bulletin with its photo, type and case number
    The FeedEvery active bulletin, newest first, with the photo, the type and the case number. Closed cases drop off on their own.
    A missing juvenile bulletin: photo, description and last seen
    The BulletinPhotos, description, last seen and the narrative on one screen, with the map, the poster and the case packet a tap away.
    Radio Read-Out with Copy and Read Aloud buttons
    Radio Read-OutThe bulletin written the way it goes over the air, plates and case numbers spelled out. Copy it, or tap Read Aloud and the phone reads it.

    Roll Call and the Ops Board

    For the sergeant at the podium and the dispatcher at the desk. Both screens have a kiosk mode for a wall TV or a desk monitor, with the clock in standard and military time.

    The Podium: roll call in briefing order with a checkbox on every line
    The PodiumRoll call in briefing order, a checkbox on every line, and BRIEFED when it has all been read.
    The Ops Board: Rapid Places, Messages and Extra Patrol Requests on one screen
    The Ops BoardRapid Places, Messages and Extra Patrol Requests on one screen at the dispatch desk, plus Who's On and Quick Links. Each dispatcher arranges the panels.
    • The PodiumPass-on notes first, then officer safety, missing, wanted and extra passes. Check each line as it is read and tap BRIEFED: the agency has a record of what was read, by whom and when.
    • Pass-On NotesWord for the next shift that stays until it has been read at roll call, with a hard stop so nothing lingers.
    • Lineup and Who's OnThe sergeant sets the platoon, units and beats at the top of the Podium. Everyone can see who is working which beat.
    • The Ops BoardWho's On, Rapid Places, Messages with acknowledgment counts, and your own quick links. Each dispatcher arranges the screen their way.
    • Rapid PlacesLoad each school's or building's floor plans, aerial and entry points once. When it matters, dispatch taps the place and every officer has the maps in seconds.
    • Extra Patrol RequestsResidents ask for extra patrol from your website, with a button or a WordPress plugin. Supervisors get a push, approve it, and it becomes an Extra Passes bulletin.

    Everything in the Box

    Wanted, Missing, Runaway, Person of Interest, Vehicle of Interest, Stolen, Extra Passes, Rapid BOLO, Officer Safety and Agency Notices, in one app on the phone and at the desk.

    On the Street

    • Push, Not E-mailA full-screen alert with sound when the app is open. E-mail is only ever a copy.
    • One Tap Closes the LoopIn Custody or Located notifies the poster and closes it for everyone.
    • Possible SightingGPS or an address, direction of travel and how long ago. Each one drops a numbered pin on the case map.
    • Radio Read-Out and Read AloudThe bulletin as a radio broadcast, with NATO or APCO phonetics. Copy it or have the phone read it out.
    • Near YouActive bulletins closest to where you are standing, at the top of the feed.
    • Search EverythingA name, nickname, partial plate, tattoo or street, weeks later.

    At the Desk

    • Rapid BOLONo time to type? Drop a photo, a floor plan or a PDF, or paste a screenshot. It goes to everyone on duty in seconds, with three seconds to undo.
    • Dispatch UpdatesA one-line update pushed to every officer in one tap, on any bulletin.
    • MessagesA message to chosen people or groups, with photos: a callout, detectives to a scene, the SWAT team. See who has acknowledged it, shift by shift.
    • Agency NoticesWord to every officer at once: a tornado warning, a road closure, an emergency.
    • Follow-Up TimersThe poster is asked to confirm each bulletin is still good, with supervisor escalation so nothing goes stale.
    • Shift DigestAt shift change: what's active, what's new and what was resolved since your last shift.

    Files and Paperwork

    • Photos, Video, PDFs and WarrantsAttach camera photos, video clips, warrants and reports. Drag and drop or paste at the desk; the camera opens inside the app on the phone.
    • Nothing Saved on the PhonePhotos go straight to the server, never to the officer's camera roll.
    • PostersA letter- or legal-size poster with your letterhead and badge, stamped ARRESTED or FOUND when the case closes.
    • Case PacketsOne PDF with the poster, every field, the map, the history, the photos and the attached warrants.
    • Links That ExpireShare a poster by link. The link stops working when the case closes.
    • DraftsSave a bulletin before it is ready. Only you, dispatch and supervisors see it.

    Running the Agency

    • Yours to RunYour badge, colors, dropdowns, RMS charge list, divisions, landmarks and retention rules. No IT project.
    • Partner AgenciesShare chosen bulletins with neighboring agencies you link with.
    • Outside Agency AccessView-only access for the DA's office or another partner, with an end date.
    • Archive to Drive or DropboxClosed cases copied to your own Google Drive or Dropbox.
    • Duty StatusOff duty means no pushes and no location, except Agency Notices.
    • Secure by DesignSign-in limited to your agency's domain, two-step sign-in, roles checked on every request, a full audit trail, encrypted in transit and at rest.

    For the Public

    Two pages your agency can put on its own website, both add-ons you switch on when you want them. Nothing reaches the public unless a supervisor approved it.

    • Request Extra PatrolA resident going out of town asks for extra patrol from your website: one button, or the WordPress plugin. The request pushes dispatch and supervisors, waits on the Podium and the Ops Board, and one tap turns it into an Extra Passes bulletin for the shift. The resident gets a reference number; nothing reaches officers until a supervisor says so.
    • Wanted and Missing PageYour own page at activebolo.com/wanted/your-agency: only the bulletins marked Approved for Media Release, Missing first, then Wanted, with the poster photo and the case number. Arrests and finds show their stamp for three days, then leave on their own.
    • Submit a TipEvery bulletin on the public page has a Submit a Tip button. The tip lands on the case itself, inside the app, as a history entry with the caller's name and number if they gave them; the posting officer is notified. No e-mail to sort, no call to transcribe.
    • Posters and Packets by LinkShare a poster by a link that stops working when the case closes. A case packet is never shared by link.

    Connect Your RMS

    Let your warrant or records system post for you. When a warrant is entered, Active BOLO gets the Wanted bulletin, and the push, the poster and the case packet follow on their own. When the warrant is served or recalled, the bulletin closes on every phone.

    Read the API Docs

    Not every RMS or warrant system can send to Active BOLO. Check with your vendor before you plan on it, or read the API documentation for what your system needs.

    1. Your Administrator Makes a KeyAgency Settings → Integrations. One key per system, and it can be turned off at any time.
    2. Your RMS Sends the WarrantOne secure call with the name, charges, warrant number, photo and narrative, in JSON or XML.
    3. Every Officer Has ItA full-screen alert on every on-duty phone, and the poster is ready to print. Updates and recalls arrive the same way.

    Set Up in an Afternoon

    Your domain, your badge, your lists. Pilots are free.

    Request Setup

    Or e-mail hello@techthings.net

    1. E-mail UsAgency name, your e-mail domain, and who your administrator will be.
    2. We Set You UpYour badge, Sheriff or Chief, divisions, charge list and cities, imported from your files.
    3. Officers Sign In With Their Agency E-mailNo accounts to hand out, and nothing to install on a computer.