The US Marshals Service (USMS), which is responsible for apprehending fugitives across the country, has signed a deal with Clear Channel Outdoor to use the company's digital billboards to display "hot pursuit messages" about wanted criminals. Drafted by the USMS and local law enforcement, the messages will interrupt regular advertising for an initial half hour before repeating throughout the day.

According to a press release, the scheme — which involves more than 960 billboards across the US — is beginning immediately, with messages having been posted about Clyde M. Hall, Jr., a so-called "career sex offender" currently wanted after failing to report to a halfway house in New York. The USMS will use location information to restrict the messages to specific geographical regions, creating a targeted system that can be used as a first-response tool for crimes in local communities.