The BOLO (Be On the LookOut) or APB (All Points Bulletin) have been used to alert units of important and mission critical messages from escapees to major disasters. It has generally been a voice announcement on an agency’s local voice dispatch channel, and it may be sent to an officer’s mobile data terminal. The problem with this system is it stays local. What about your neighboring agencies and state agencies that may be on disparate radio systems? How do I make sure that these other law enforcement agencies know of a threat without the dispatcher having to call the other agency on the landline or teletype?

BOLONet resolves this issue by providing the agency with a way to push a notification and message to all agencies and officers within the footprint of the event. BOLONet resides on an officer’s phone such as the Ulefone Armor X5 or other Android device, so when the dispatcher sends the BOLO or APB all users get the alert along with a map marking the GPS location of the event. Those outside the area of concern, as defined by agency, will not be disturbed by the alert unless they move into that area while the BOLO or APB is still active. 

What sparked the idea for BOLONet was an actual event where local officers were alerted, but the state natural resources officer was not. Both agencies were on different radio systems and although the gunman was very near to the resources officer in the same county and was looking to shoot anyone in uniform. Fortunately, the resources officer ascertained the threat in time. If he had been notified earlier then he would have been better prepared for the threat.