Author Description

In 1949, the FBI formalized its “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” program. Since 1950, it has led to the location of more than 460 of our nation’s most dangerous criminals.For sixty years, the FBI has sought the public’s assistance in a special way through one of our most effective and longest running publicity programs— the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list. In 1949, reporter James Donovan asked the FBI to identify the “toughest guys” we were investigating at the time. We provided him with photos of ten dangerous fugitives, which he then published on the front page of The Washington Daily News.The “Top Ten” list was extremely popular at the time and several fugitives were captured as a result. During the following year, the FBI formalized its “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” publicity program, which, since 1950, has led to the location of more than 460 of our nation’s most dangerous criminals. Through the publication of fugitive information in various outlets, beginning with newspapers and magazines, to now using the Internet, television, social media, and digital billboards across the country, the FBI continues to seek public assistance in locating wanted fugitives. We recognize the unique ability of the news media to cast a wider net within communities here and abroad. The FBI can send agents to visit a thousand homes to find a witness, but the media can visit a million homes in an instant.