> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cylexdev.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cylexdev.gitbook.io/docs/cylex_mdt/features/bolos-and-warran.md).

# BOLOs & Warran

A BOLO (Be On Lookout) in Cylex MDT is a live notice pushed to every on-duty officer's dashboard the moment it is published. It functions as a warrant — tracking a suspect or vehicle across the entire department in real time with a countdown timer derived from the charges applied. When a suspect is captured, you resolve the BOLO directly in the MDT and it disappears from the Wanted list for everyone simultaneously.

### BOLO types <a href="#id-8b2333b9-a540-43c4-b295-338dd5e090ef" id="id-8b2333b9-a540-43c4-b295-338dd5e090ef"></a>

When creating a new BOLO you choose one of five types:

| Type                | Use case                                      |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Arrest Warrant**  | Suspect wanted for arrest on criminal charges |
| **Search Warrant**  | Authorization to search a person or premises  |
| **Vehicle Search**  | Targeted search of a specific vehicle         |
| **Eviction Order**  | Lawful removal from a property                |
| **Detention Order** | Hold a suspect for questioning without arrest |

### Creating a BOLO <a href="#id-12ed1df8-f2b0-4444-b789-2e4b102361c7" id="id-12ed1df8-f2b0-4444-b789-2e4b102361c7"></a>

Open the **BOLOs** page in the MDT and click **New BOLO**. Fill in the form:

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Select the target

Choose either a citizen or a vehicle as the BOLO target. Search by name or citizen ID for people, or by license plate or model for vehicles. You can also attach a mugshot or photo URL.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Set urgency

Choose a priority level. This controls how the BOLO appears on the dashboard Wanted list and filters officers use to triage active warrants.

| <p><br></p><p>Priority</p> | Color |
| -------------------------- | ----- |
| Critical                   | Red   |
| High                       | Amber |
| Medium                     | Blue  |
| Low                        | Grey  |
| {% endstep %}              |       |

{% step %}

### Add charges

Search and add charges from your department's charge list. As you add each charge, the **Total Warrant Time** field auto-calculates by summing the warrant time defined on each charge. The fine and sentence totals update at the same time.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Fill in supporting fields

Enter a reason for the BOLO, set a search duration if applicable, add tags for filtering, and add officer notes visible to all officers viewing the warrant.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Link to an incident report (optional)

Use the **Link Report** field to attach the BOLO to an existing incident. Linked BOLOs appear on the incident detail page so the whole case stays connected. A BOLO created without a linked report is saved as a **Standalone BOLO**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Publish

Click **Publish**. The BOLO is immediately visible on every on-duty officer's dashboard Wanted list without requiring a page refresh.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
You can also create a BOLO directly from an incident report using the **Add BOLO** button on a suspect row. This pre-fills the target and links the report automatically.
{% endhint %}

### Real-time push to all officers <a href="#babf8f70-7ddf-4812-b12b-b5f2b6485ead" id="babf8f70-7ddf-4812-b12b-b5f2b6485ead"></a>

Publishing a BOLO triggers an instant update to the **Wanted** panel on every officer's dashboard. Officers do not need to navigate away from their current page — the panel refreshes live. The BOLO displays the suspect name or vehicle plate, BOLO type, urgency badge, and time remaining.

### Warrant timers <a href="#id-8596cd5d-b8b1-4031-b457-e3c09b014003" id="id-8596cd5d-b8b1-4031-b457-e3c09b014003"></a>

Warrant time is calculated from the charges you apply. Each charge in the **Charges** page has a configurable **Warrant Time (Hours)** field. When a BOLO is published, the total warrant time of all applied charges is summed and starts counting down.

```lua
-- Controls whether the countdown runs while the suspect is offline
-- true  → timer runs even when the suspect player is not connected
-- false → timer only counts down while the suspect is online
Config.WarrantDecayOffline = true
```

{% hint style="success" %}
Setting a charge's warrant time to `0` in the Charges page gives that charge an **unlimited** warrant duration. Any BOLO built entirely from zero-warrant-time charges will show "Unlimited" in the Time Remaining field and will never expire automatically.
{% endhint %}

#### Warrant expiry <a href="#id-8b3e39f8-b6cb-42bf-be5b-b041fc78cc45" id="id-8b3e39f8-b6cb-42bf-be5b-b041fc78cc45"></a>

When the countdown reaches zero, the BOLO is automatically removed from the Wanted list on every officer's dashboard. Expired warrants remain in the database and are visible on the BOLOs page with an **Expired** status badge, so you retain a record of them.

### Filtering the BOLO list <a href="#id-664828a4-1fe8-4154-b07c-f68339047cdb" id="id-664828a4-1fe8-4154-b07c-f68339047cdb"></a>

The BOLOs page includes a filter bar at the top. You can filter by priority:

* **All** — show every active BOLO
* **Critical** — highest urgency only
* **High**
* **Medium**
* **Low**

Use the search bar to find a BOLO by suspect name, vehicle plate, or case number.

### Marking a suspect as captured <a href="#id-00ccd5f1-b932-4cde-aa48-31b2411cb0e5" id="id-00ccd5f1-b932-4cde-aa48-31b2411cb0e5"></a>

Open the BOLO detail panel and click **Mark as Captured**. This resolves the warrant and immediately removes it from the Wanted list on every officer's dashboard. The BOLO record is updated with a **Resolved** status and a timestamp.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Marking a BOLO as captured is irreversible from the standard UI. Confirm with your team before resolving a warrant that may still be contested.
{% endhint %}

### Tags <a href="#id-8234f25d-d142-4b52-9d37-3e4a13069cba" id="id-8234f25d-d142-4b52-9d37-3e4a13069cba"></a>

BOLOs support the same tag system used on incidents and citizens. Tags let you categorize and filter warrants quickly — for example marking a BOLO as `Gang Related` or `Armed and Dangerous`. Create tags on the **Tags** administration page and apply them when creating or editing a BOLO.

### Configuration reference <a href="#id-9c40f23a-82af-489b-8388-1f3fee582760" id="id-9c40f23a-82af-489b-8388-1f3fee582760"></a>

```lua
-- Warrant decay behavior
-- true  → countdown runs while suspect is offline
-- false → countdown pauses when suspect disconnects
Config.WarrantDecayOffline = true
```

Warrant time per charge is set in the MDT's **Charges** page UI, not in `config.lua`. Navigate to **Charges**, edit a charge, and set the **Warrant Time (Hours)** field. Set it to `0` for unlimited duration.

<details>

<summary>Standalone vs linked BOLOs</summary>

A **standalone BOLO** has no incident report attached. It appears on the Wanted list and BOLOs page but is not associated with a case file. Use standalone BOLOs for quick notices when there is no formal report yet — for example, flagging a vehicle seen acting suspiciously before an incident is written up.

A **linked BOLO** is attached to an incident report. The incident detail page shows all linked BOLOs under the suspect's name, and the BOLO detail panel shows the incident number as a clickable link. Linking keeps the full investigation connected in one place.

</details>

<details>

<summary>BOLO types explained</summary>

The five BOLO types (`arrest_warrant`, `search_warrant`, `vehicle_search`, `eviction_order`, `detention_order`) are display labels only — they do not change the mechanical behavior of the warrant timer or the Wanted list. Choose the type that best represents the legal authority being exercised so officers responding to the callout have the right context.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Editing an active BOLO</summary>

Open the BOLO from the BOLOs page and click **Edit BOLO**. You can update the reason, urgency, charges, tags, linked reports, and officer notes. Changes save immediately and are reflected on all officers' dashboards. You cannot change the target citizen or vehicle after a BOLO is published — delete and recreate if the target needs to change.

</details>