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Bay Area Billboards Put Spotlight On Fugitives

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 8, 2008

TAMPA A photo of Tyrone Lamont Grimes flashes on a digital billboard above Dale Mabry Highway near Waters Avenue, facing northbound traffic.

Grimes, 27, wanted on a first-degree murder charge in the Oct. 17 shooting death of a patron at a Brandon nightclub, is one of 10 local fugitives whose photographs now appear between regular advertisements on six digital Clear Channel outdoor billboards in the Bay area, officials said.

The initiative is part of a national campaign between Clear Channel and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to publicize wanted fugitives and emergency information during peak travel hours, said Dave Couvertier, a spokesman for the FBI's Tampa office.

About 16 cities are participating in the campaign, Couvertier said. By the end of the year, about 20 cities will be on board.

The other billboards are located on Brandon Boulevard and on the Veterans Expressway in Hillsborough County, and on U.S. 19, on Tyrone Boulevard and on Ulmerton Road in Pinellas County.

The campaign began in the Philadelphia area last year after digital advertisements there led to the arrests of three fugitives, including one wanted for killing a police officer, Couvertier said.

The digital technology allows the FBI to e-mail information about local fugitives to its offices in other parts of the country, where bulletins can be posted on other Clear Channel billboards within seconds, Couvertier said.

In addition, the billboards enable the FBI to issue alerts about security emergencies, he said.
Each bulletin is slotted between regular advertisements as space permits, Couvertier said. In an emergency, the FBI can request that Clear Channel suspend regular advertising.

Clear Channel is providing the bulletins for free as a public service for one year, he said. If successful, the bulletins will continue.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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