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Wanted Poster

 
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A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster
Poster

A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both typography and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly textual....
 put up to let the public know of a criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend. They will generally include either a picture of the criminal when a photograph
Photograph

A photograph is an created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a Charge-coupled device or a Complementary metal?oxide?semiconductor chip....
 is available, or of a facial composite
Facial composite

A facial composite is a graphical presentation of an eyewitness's memory of a face, as recorded by a composite artist. Facial composites are used mainly by police in their investigation of crimes....
 image produced by a police artist. The poster will usually include a description of the wantee and the crime(s) with which they are charged. Wanted posters are usually produced by a police or other public government body for display in a public place, such as on a physical bulletin board
Bulletin board

A bulletin board is a place where people can leave public messages, for example, to advertise things to buy or sell, announce Gatherings, or provide information....
 or in the lobby of a post office
Post office

A post office is a facility authorized by a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail. Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies....
, but in ages past wanted posters have also been produced by vigilante
Vigilante

A vigilante is a person who violates the law in order to exact what they believe to be justice from criminals, because they think that the criminal will not be caught or will not be sufficiently punished by the legal system....
 groups, railway security, private agencies such as Pinkerton
Pinkerton National Detective Agency

The Pinkerton National Detective Agency, usually shortened to the Pinkertons, was a private United States security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850....
, or by express companies that have sustained a robbery
Robbery

Robbery is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
.

Wanted posters for particularly notorious fugitives frequently offer a bounty or reward
Bounty (reward)

A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group....
 for the capture of the person, or for a person who can provide information leading to such capture.

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

Wanted posters, when produced by non law enforcement sources, can be a type of harassment
Harassment

Harassment refers to a wide spectrum of offensive behaviour. The term commonly refers to behaviour intended to disturb or upset, and, when the term is used in a legal sense, it refers to behaviours which are found threatening or disturbing....
.






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A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster
Poster

A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both typography and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly textual....
 put up to let the public know of a criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend. They will generally include either a picture of the criminal when a photograph
Photograph

A photograph is an created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a Charge-coupled device or a Complementary metal?oxide?semiconductor chip....
 is available, or of a facial composite
Facial composite

A facial composite is a graphical presentation of an eyewitness's memory of a face, as recorded by a composite artist. Facial composites are used mainly by police in their investigation of crimes....
 image produced by a police artist. The poster will usually include a description of the wantee and the crime(s) with which they are charged. Wanted posters are usually produced by a police or other public government body for display in a public place, such as on a physical bulletin board
Bulletin board

A bulletin board is a place where people can leave public messages, for example, to advertise things to buy or sell, announce Gatherings, or provide information....
 or in the lobby of a post office
Post office

A post office is a facility authorized by a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail. Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies....
, but in ages past wanted posters have also been produced by vigilante
Vigilante

A vigilante is a person who violates the law in order to exact what they believe to be justice from criminals, because they think that the criminal will not be caught or will not be sufficiently punished by the legal system....
 groups, railway security, private agencies such as Pinkerton
Pinkerton National Detective Agency

The Pinkerton National Detective Agency, usually shortened to the Pinkertons, was a private United States security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850....
, or by express companies that have sustained a robbery
Robbery

Robbery is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
.

Wanted posters for particularly notorious fugitives frequently offer a bounty or reward
Bounty (reward)

A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group....
 for the capture of the person, or for a person who can provide information leading to such capture.

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

    The Electronic Facial Identification Technique, commonly known as E-FIT, is a computerised method of synthesizing images to produce Facial composites of the faces of wanted criminals based on Witness descriptions....
    : Electronic Facial Identification Technique via computer
  • PhotoFIT
    Photofit

    Photofit is a technique used by the police for building up an accurate image of someone to fit a witness' description. Photographs, rather than drawings, of individual features are used to construct an image of a suspect....
    : Photographic Facial Identification Technique
  • Identikit
    Facial composite

    A facial composite is a graphical presentation of an eyewitness's memory of a face, as recorded by a composite artist. Facial composites are used mainly by police in their investigation of crimes....


Wanted posters, when produced by non law enforcement sources, can be a type of harassment
Harassment

Harassment refers to a wide spectrum of offensive behaviour. The term commonly refers to behaviour intended to disturb or upset, and, when the term is used in a legal sense, it refers to behaviours which are found threatening or disturbing....
. In the wake of the 2006 Duke University lacrosse case, wanted posters were distributed with the photos of 40 members of the lacrosse team on them.

See also

  • Percy Lefroy Mapleton
    Percy Lefroy Mapleton

    Percy Lefroy Mapleton , a journalist, was the British "railway murderer" of 1881. He is important in the history of forensics and Police as being the subject of the first police facial composite to appear on a Wanted poster and in a newspaper....
  • Pittura infamante
    Pittura infamante

    Pittura infamante is a genre of defamation painting and relief, common in Italian Renaissance in city-states in the north and center of the Italian peninsula during the Trecento, Quattrocento, and Cinquecento....