BOLO Broadcasts
Updated 13 May 2026
BOLOs ("Be On the Look-Out") are alert broadcasts that tell your guards to watch for a specific person, vehicle, item, or situation. They appear on guards' GuardHub dashboards and trigger a push notification when published.
Creating a BOLO
Tap Create BOLO. Fill in:
- Title — short, specific (e.g. "Wanted: shoplifter, Manchester Road").
- Description — what guards should look for: physical description, vehicle registration, or item details.
- What to do — clear instruction (e.g. "Do not approach. Contact your supervisor immediately.").
- Photo or video — attach reference media where available. A clear image dramatically improves guard recognition.
- Severity — Info / Caution / Urgent. Use Urgent sparingly — if every BOLO is urgent, none of them are.
- Target audience — all sites, specific sites, or named guards.
- Expiry date — set a date when the BOLO should automatically close, or leave blank and close it manually.
Tracking acknowledgements
The BOLO row shows a live acknowledgement count — how many targeted guards have opened it. Tap the row to see the full list of who has and hasn't viewed it. You can follow up directly with guards who haven't seen a high-priority alert.
Updating a live BOLO
If the situation develops — new information about a suspect, a vehicle recovered — edit the BOLO while it's live. Guards' devices refresh on their next sync.
Closing a BOLO
When the situation is resolved (person found, item recovered, threat passed), close the BOLO. It drops out of guards' active feeds immediately and moves to the archive. Closed BOLOs remain searchable for audit.
Alert fatigue
Too many BOLOs reduce the impact of each one. Reserve the BOLO system for genuine watch-out situations. Routine informational updates belong in Memos; direct messages to a named guard belong in the messaging tool.
How BOLOs differ from other communications
- BOLOs vs Memos — Memos are general announcements; BOLOs are action-oriented watch alerts.
- BOLOs vs Direct Messages — Direct Messages are two-way; BOLOs are broadcast-only.