Wanted poster

Wanted poster for Percy Lefroy Mapleton. The first such poster in British history.

Electronic wanted poster

A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of an alleged criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend. They will generally include either a picture of the alleged criminal when a photograph is available, or of a facial composite image produced by a police artist. The poster will usually include a description of the wanted person(s) and the crime(s) for which they are sought. Wanted posters are usually produced by a police department or other public government body for display in a public place, such as on a physical bulletin board or in the lobby of a post office, but in ages past wanted posters have also been produced by vigilante groups, railway security, private agencies such as Pinkerton, or by express companies that have sustained a robbery. In 2007, the FBI began posting wanted posters on electronic billboards starting with 23 cities, and are working to expand this system in other states. This allows them to instantly post a wanted notice in public view across the US. The FBI claims at least 30 cases have been solved as a direct result of digital billboard publicity, and many others have been solved through the Bureau’s overall publicity efforts that included the billboards.

Wanted posters for particularly notorious fugitives frequently offer a bounty or reward for the capture of the person, or for a person who can provide information leading to such capture. More modern wanted posters may also include images of the fugitive's fingerprints.

Composite images for use in wanted posters can be created with various methods, including:

• E-FIT: Electronic Facial Identification Technique via computer
• Identikit
• PhotoFIT: Photographic Facial Identification Technique

See also

• All-points bulletin
• America's Most Wanted
• Pittura infamante
• Rewards for Justice Program