APB Meaning: What Does APB Stand for?

An APB (All Points Bulletin) is a broadcast alert from one police station to all other police stations in an area, such as a city or a state. On the other hand, a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) is a similar alert but circulated among law enforcement officers or agencies, often with a focus on locating individuals or vehicles fitting a specific description. The primary goal of an APB is to share information related to a suspect or an ongoing criminal investigation across multiple law enforcement jurisdictions.

Eventually, he and his team were in fact able to identify the gene responsible, known as the ACVR1 mutation.[13] This would go on to allow deeper research about the disease, and potentially allow for the development of a treatment for the disease. In the “event the radio is not a viable means for transmitting data (i.e., radio traffic is busy)”, the police officer will use the digital all-points bulletin.[5] The officer enters the same exact information into the mobile computer terminal. By doing this, they are able to make the message equivalent to a radio message, with the same codes.[6] This allows the same automated information to be gathered by other police officers who are receiving the bulletin. However, in regard to the technical functionality of the computerised bulletin systems, there is a lack of significant research on the technical construction and development of these terminals and computers; so modern knowledge of the technicalities of these older all-points bulletin systems is restricted. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘all-points bulletin.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. If you have recently come across this acronym and were wondering its meaning, then you have arrived in the right spot.

How is an APB issued for a missing person?

Outside of its common meaning, APB can also stand for “A Path Beyond,” referring to a computer game, or “Apoptygma Berzerk,” which is a Norwegian music group. In the army context, APB may be used to symbolize “Annual Performance Bonus,” referring to a financial reward granted to personnel for their performance over a year. In response to the bulletin, Kaplan and his team were able to obtain 50 willing patients to run their experimentation with.

In the field of policing, an all-points bulletin contains an important message about a suspect or item of interest, which officers may be in search for. They are primarily used for individuals who are classified as dangerous and for crimes of high priority.[1] In these fields, the APB may also be known as a BOLO, for “be on (the) look-out”. In summary, APB is a versatile abbreviation that originated from law enforcement but has taken on a broader meaning in texting and social media platforms. The common use of APB is to emphasize the urgency or importance of a message, but it can also refer to other entities, such as games, music groups, or bonuses in the army, depending on the context. While the abbreviation APB has its roots in the police and criminal contexts, it has been colloquially adopted in various other scenarios.

all-points bulletin

APBs may be sent among different police stations in an area, state, or even across multiple states. The main purpose of an APB is to facilitate the arrest of a suspect and provide additional information that can help locate them. In 1970, Farmville Police department in North Carolina, United States, reported about their implementation of the all-points bulletin (APB) system beginning in 1968.[1] If a stolen car was reported, officers would send out a radio broadcast to all patrol cars and to various other stations within a certain radius. Police can send out an APB that will reach thirteen states, through the use of teletype.[1] Officers also used the APB if they were required to notify individuals about the death of family members.

When a person is reported missing, and there is enough evidence to indicate that the person may be in danger or a victim of a criminal act, law enforcement may issue an APB. The APB would include the missing person’s description, last known location, and any other pertinent information that could help locate them. Police stations in the applicable area would then be on alert, taking any reported sightings or new leads into account to aid in the search for the missing individual. The earliest known record of the all-points bulletin is when used by United States police, which dates the term to 1947. Although used in the field of policing at the time, the APB has had usage in fields such as politics, technology and science research.

APB Meaning: What Does APB Stand for?

However, since the 21st century, due to advances in technology, all-points bulletins have become significantly less common and are now only primarily used by police departments in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. It was used as a broadcast so that agencies could communicate with each other to find wanted suspects or people of interest for crimes that they have committed or may have been involved with in some fashion. These types of notifications can also contain information regarding the make and model of a car if one was involved in the crime or it is the car believed to be driven by the suspect. Conversation examples will be provided to you here as well so you can learn how the term is used properly in an everyday context and help you gain a better knowledge of its meaning. Finally, you will see some words or phrases that can be used in place of the phrase that this acronym represents that will not change its meaning. This ability to discuss ideas and politics without being in-person was previously not done before in political history.

• By doing this, they are able to make the message equivalent to a radio message, with the same codes.[6] This allows the same automated information to be gathered by other police officers who are receiving the bulletin.
• In response to the bulletin, Kaplan and his team were able to obtain 50 willing patients to run their experimentation with.
• An APB (All Points Bulletin) is a broadcast alert from one police station to all other police stations in an area, such as a city or a state.
• They are primarily used for individuals who are classified as dangerous and for crimes of high priority.[1] In these fields, the APB may also be known as a BOLO, for “be on (the) look-out”.

It ensures that officers and agencies are on the same page, and it helps coordinate search efforts. By alerting all relevant police stations, an APB can expedite the apprehension of suspects, recovery of stolen property, or location of missing persons. The modern, 21st Century technological evolution of the all-points bulletin is mainly only used in the world of policing.[4] Police officers will use computers, both at the police-station and fitted in their vehicles, connected to a private police intranet, to access APBs. Other forms of media that perform similar functions to APBs include smartphone apps and internet web pages.[4] Besides in the field of policing, APBs are almost completely out of use in 21st century society.

Dictionary Entries Near APB

Due to the rapid evolution of the internet and other technology beginning in the early 2000s, the all-points Bulletin is becoming an increasingly less useful method of communicating messages, and less information is being published about it. APB stands for All Points Bulletin, which is a notification among police agencies about a wanted person or a particular suspect. It is a general bulletin broadcast to alert law-enforcement officers over a wide area that someone or something, such as a vehicle, is being actively sought in connection with a crime.