TORONTO, April 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stacks of cash equalling $1 million in rewards were on display Tuesday as the Bolo Program announced a Top 25 Update as well as a new initiative aimed at encouraging Canadians to be on the lookout for Canada’s Top 25 most wanted fugitives.
Bolo’s newest #1 suspect was revealed to be Michael Bebee, wanted for the brazen murder exactly nine months ago of 29-year-old Toronto man Shamar Powell-Flowers. A reward of up to $100,000 was announced for any information leading to Bebee’s arrest.
“To those who know the location of Michael Bebee: Shamar would have given you the benefit of the doubt, so we are trying the same,” Shamar’s family said in a statement. “Maybe you’ve been scared. Maybe you didn’t realize our extraordinary pain. Maybe you thought this arrest wouldn’t matter. But here we are, nine months later, locked in place, drowning in despair, and pleading for someone to release us from this agony and allow us to take the next step forward in this most awful journey.”
Additional rewards of up to $100,000 were announced for the remaining Top 5 suspects, while rewards of up to $50,000 were announced for 10 others scattered throughout the updated Top 25 list, which brings together information about most wanted suspects from across the country.
Combined, the 15 rewards equal an unprecedented $1 million. As with all Bolo rewards, the $1 million offered Tuesday will sit in a trust controlled by a law firm until successful tips are submitted, leading to the apprehensions of the fugitives.
Bolo Director Max Langlois was joined by Toronto Police Service Chief Myron Demkiw, Toronto Crime Stoppers Chair Sean Sportun, and various police partners in revealing the updated Top 25 list.
During Tuesday’s news conference, Langlois announced a new initiative on the Bolo website — boloprogram.org — called the Bolo Lineup. The Bolo Lineup is an online contest aimed at incentivizing Canadians to “be on the lookout” for fugitives. Any Canadian resident aged 18 or older may participate in this initiative by identifying fugitives in a series of lineups. Participants will have a chance to collect one of 100 prizes, including a $10,000 travel voucher, computers, gaming consoles, tablets, and gift cards.
“The Bolo Program is incentivizing members of the public to be on the lookout not only today, but in the days, weeks, and months to come,” Bolo Director Max Langlois said. “How? By taking a portion of the money we usually spend on these flashy media campaigns and using it to reward people not only for calling in the right tip, but for, quite simply, keeping their attention on the campaign.”
“We work hand in hand with communities in an effort to prevent these crimes. But when, despite our best efforts, tragedy strikes, we do what we can to support the victims and survivors left behind,” Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said. “And we work with our community partners — members of the media, members of the public, and organizations like Bolo — to build and restore not only actual safety, but that critical sense of safety that should be felt by all. That is what we are doing today.”
Thanks to Crime Stoppers programs, the Top 25 list allows tipsters to remain anonymous not only while sharing information, but also while collecting their rewards, all without ever speaking to an investigator.
"With Crime Stoppers, you remain anonymous. Criminals don’t,” Toronto Crime Stoppers Chair Sean Sportun said. “Together, we can create safer communities right across Canada, and help those who have been hurt by these crimes take the next steps forward in their most unfortunate journeys.”
For information on each case, visit boloprogram.org.
About Bolo Program
The Bolo Program is a breakthrough initiative leveraging social media, technology, and innovative engagement to encourage citizens to be on the lookout for Canada’s most wanted, so they can help keep their communities safe. ‘BOLO’, which stands for “be on the lookout,” is a commonly used law enforcement term to designate individuals who are actively wanted.
Bolo reaches citizens at the right time, at the right place, and by using the right means to encourage citizens to be on the lookout. Bolo amplifies priority wanted notices for which Canadian police services have already requested the public’s assistance. In cooperation with Canadian police services and Crime Stoppers, Bolo launches amplification campaigns to reach wider audiences for these notices, on multiple platforms and over extended periods of time, and offers major financial rewards as incentives for citizens to be on the lookout and submit tips to the authorities.
Media contact: info@boloprogram.org
An image accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fcd62be4-4359-46aa-8c66-65eeecadf15b
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