Glossary

A public notification system that alerts communities to confirmed child abductions. Named after Amber Hagerman, who was abducted and murdered in Texas in 1996. Criteria for issuing an AMBER Alert vary by state — not all missing children cases qualify. APBnet™ supports AMBER Alerts as a high-priority bulletin type with broadcast distribution to subscribing agencies.

A broadcast from a law enforcement agency to all nearby units or agencies, requesting assistance in locating a suspect, vehicle, or missing person. The APB is the historical foundation of APBnet™ — the platform is named for it.

A request broadcast to law enforcement personnel to watch for and attempt to locate a specific person or vehicle. Less urgent than a BOLO; may not involve a crime in progress or an active warrant.

An APBnet™ user role that manages the agency's subscription and billing. Billing Admins can view plan details and handle billing-related administrative tasks.

A notification system that alerts law enforcement and the public when an officer has been killed or seriously injured by a suspect who remains at large. Criteria and geographic reach vary by state.

A broadcast bulletin asking law enforcement to watch for a specific person, vehicle, or object. BOLOs are among the most common bulletin types created in APBnet™ and are a standard part of law enforcement communications.

The core document type in APBnet™ — a structured intelligence record created by a law enforcement agency and distributed to other agencies. A bulletin includes standardized fields (case type, suspect description, vehicle information, case number), a narrative, and photos. You may hear bulletins called "TRAK fliers," "Critical Reaches," or simply "fliers" — informal names that all mean the same thing. The correct product term is APBnet™ bulletin.

Software used by dispatch centers to manage incoming service calls, assign units, and track incident status in real time. APBnet™ and APB Direct Connect are separate from CAD systems but can support integrations to ensure dispatchers can be rapidly notified of critical information.

The FBI division that administers the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and sets the security standards — known as the CJIS Security Policy — governing any system that handles criminal justice information. Any system that connects to NCIC or processes CJI must comply with CJIS requirements.

Adherence to the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Security Policy — the standards governing how systems that access or transmit criminal justice information must protect that data. APBnet™ is built to CJIS standards, including encryption requirements, access controls, and audit logging.

The platform runs entirely in the cloud — no local software installation required. Any device with a modern web browser can access APBnet™, as allowed by agency IT Admins.

Tools that let you filter low-relevance bulletins straight to your "Not Interested" tab. Examples: auto-file bulletins from specific agencies, suppress a bulletin type for a set period, or set minimum priority thresholds. Clutter Controls quiet the noise; Subscriptions bring specific content in. They work together.

A shared workspace in APBnet™ where users across multiple agencies can coordinate on a case or investigation. Groups can be public (open to any member agency) or private (invitation only). Members share bulletins, post comments, and track linked cases. Collaboration Groups replace email chains for multi-agency coordination.

A directory in APBnet™ for managing community contacts — community-based organizations, local businesses, schools, hospitals, and other non-law-enforcement partners. Law enforcement agencies use it to share bulletins beyond the LE network: alerting community partners to missing persons, safety threats, or crime patterns where community awareness helps. Program Admins can require internal review before bulletins are sent to community recipients.

An APBnet™ user role for those who can create and distribute bulletins. Creators have access to all bulletin types enabled for their agency, map-based distribution tools, and full subscription and notification controls.

The nonprofit organization that builds and operates APBnet™ and APB Direct Connect. Founded in 1995 following the abduction of Polly Klaas, Critical Reach's mission is building safer communities for children. When this site says "we" or "our," it means Critical Reach — not APBnet™ (the product) and not TRAK (the former product name). Some people informally call bulletins "Critical Reaches," using the organization name instead of the product name. The correct term is APBnet™ bulletin.

Data is encrypted from the moment it leaves your device until it reaches its intended recipient. No intermediary — including the network it travels over — can read the content in transit. APBnet™ uses end-to-end encryption for all bulletin transmissions and any other traffic on the app.

A notification issued when a person is missing and believed to be in danger, but the circumstances do not meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert. Naming and criteria vary by state — some states use different terms for equivalent alert tiers.

The structured data inputs in an APBnet™ bulletin — standardized form fields for information such as case type, suspect description, vehicle make and model, license plate, case number, and location. Fields make bulletins searchable and filterable: when you search for a specific plate number or filter by vehicle color, you are searching field values. Fields differ from the bulletin narrative — the narrative is free-form text; fields are structured and filterable. Program Admins can configure which fields are required or optional for their agency.

A response mechanism that lets users signal relevance on a bulletin. Marking a bulletin as Interested or Not Interested does three things: organizes your inbox, provides feedback to the bulletin's author (who sees aggregate responses), and helps the system suggest relevant Subscriptions and Clutter Controls. The language is deliberately neutral — this is not a social media like button.

An APBnet™ user role for technical staff who configure the agency's security and access settings. IT Admins manage allowed account domains, SSO and authentication settings, IP allowlist entries, MFA policy, and device access controls. IT Admin configuration must be completed before User Admin can enable user accounts.

An automatic feed showing the most recent bulletins from agencies in your configured jurisdiction. The Local Feed is on by default and includes bulletins created by your agency as well as bulletins created by agencies in your county. Optionally, users can create a map-based region for a custom feed.

A person whose whereabouts are unknown and whose safety is in question. Missing person bulletins are among the highest-priority types in APBnet™. Severity tiers — standard, endangered, or AMBER Alert — determine distribution scope and notification urgency.

The FBI's centralized database for criminal justice records, including wanted persons, missing persons, stolen vehicles, and protective orders. NCIC is a separate system from APBnet™ — agencies may enter records in both, but they are not synchronized.

The inbox tab in APBnet™ where bulletins you have responded to with Not Interested — or that Clutter Control rules have automatically routed — are stored. Bulletins in this tab remain accessible and searchable; they are not deleted. Your Not Interested responses also provide aggregate feedback to bulletin authors and help the system suggest relevant Clutter Controls.

The application is designed to keep working when your internet connection drops. Bulletins you were viewing stay accessible, drafts auto-save, and the app syncs automatically when your connection returns. A deliberate design choice for field use, where connectivity can be unreliable.

Coordinated, commercial-scale retail theft carried out by professional criminal networks. ORC is a significant APBnet™ use case — agencies use the platform to share suspect photos, vehicle descriptions, and crime pattern bulletins across jurisdictions.

A unique nine-character code assigned by the FBI to each law enforcement agency. Used to identify the source agency in NCIC transactions and criminal justice records.

A feature that lets users submit a photo and search the APBnet™ bulletin database for potential matches. Photo Search returns candidates — not confirmed identifications. Human review is always required before acting on any result. We use "Photo Search" intentionally, not "Photo Match" — the term "match" implies a definitive identification that Photo Search does not make. Matches are powered by AWS Rekognition and can identify any photo features (people, objects, text, scenes, and activities) — it is not limited to facial recognition.

An APBnet™ user role that facilitates the agency's usage of APBnet™, including governing feature access, monitoring usage, and training users. Program Admins are responsible for ensuring APBnet™ usage is allowed based on applicable laws, regulations, and agency policies. Program Admins can enable or disable capabilities such as federal sharing, Photo Search, and community distribution. Account management is handled separately by User Admin.

A web application that behaves like a native app. APBnet™ is a PWA — you can install it to your device home screen or taskbar, receive push notifications, and use it offline, all without downloading anything from an app store. A modern browser is all you need.

Changes appear immediately without refreshing the page. New bulletins appear in your feed as they are published; notification counts update as they arrive. For CRITICAL-priority bulletins, the delivery target is under five seconds.

Software agencies use to create, store, and manage official law enforcement records, including incident reports, arrest records, and case files. APBnet™ is a bulletin-sharing platform, not an RMS — many agencies use both systems in parallel.

Bulletins you have bookmarked in APBnet™, accessible from the Saved tab in your inbox. Use Saved Bulletins to track active cases, hold reference material, or flag items for follow-up. The product term is Saved Bulletins — not Bookmarks or Favorites.

A notification system for missing adults, typically elderly individuals with cognitive impairment. Criteria — including age thresholds, distance traveled, and required circumstances — vary significantly by state. Do not assume a single set of criteria applies nationwide.

A proactive alert rule that notifies you when a bulletin matching specific criteria enters the system. Example: notify me when any bulletin containing this license plate number is created. Subscriptions differ from the Local Feed — the Local Feed shows nearby bulletins automatically; subscriptions alert you to specific patterns regardless of location or time.

Descriptors you attach to a bulletin to make it easier to find, filter, and distribute to the right recipients. You can apply multiple tags to a single bulletin. Users can follow specific tags to build subscriptions or receive bulletins from Creators who tag their content for their area of interest. If you used legacy APBnet, tags replace what were called subtypes — the concept is the same, but more flexible.

A multi-agency investigative unit focused on a specific crime type or case. Task forces frequently use APBnet™ Collaboration Groups to coordinate across jurisdictions on shared investigations.

A bulletin type in APBnet™ for internal agency training communications. Training Opportunity bulletins are not broadcast to the full agency roster — they route only to designated point-of-contact recipients configured by Program Admin. This keeps training logistics out of users' operational inboxes.

The original name for APBnet™, used from the platform's launch in the 1990s. TRAK stood for Technology to Recover Abducted Kids. Many officers — especially those who have used the platform for years — still call bulletins "TRAK fliers" or refer to the platform as "TRAK." Some also call bulletins "Critical Reaches," using the organization name instead of the product. The current terms are APBnet™ (the platform) and APBnet™ bulletin (the document). The name changed because the platform grew well beyond missing children cases to cover the full range of law enforcement intelligence sharing — but protecting children remains central to Critical Reach's mission.

An APBnet™ user role that manages user accounts within the agency. User Admins create accounts, assign roles, send invitations, and deactivate accounts when personnel leave. User Admins cannot enable accounts until IT Admin has completed technical configuration.

An APBnet™ user role for personnel who receive and search bulletins but do not create them. Viewers have full access to search, Local Feed, Subscriptions, Saved Bulletins, and notification preferences. Personnel who primarily consume intelligence rather than creating bulletins are typically assigned the Viewer role.

An individual for whom an arrest warrant has been issued. Wanted person bulletins are among the highest-priority types in APBnet™, with options for elevated distribution scope and officer safety flagging.

A security model where no device or user is automatically trusted, even on a known network. Every access request is verified independently, regardless of where it originates. This limits the damage a compromised credential can cause — gaining one user's access does not grant free movement through the system.