Page County 'Suspicious Person' Alert Deemed Misleading by Luray PD
LURAY, Va. — An officer alert notice reportedly sent by the Page County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) on Thursday was later deemed to be false by the Luray Police Department (LPD).
Just before noon on May 28, 2026, an unencrypted BOLO (“Be On The Lookout”) from Page County was read over the air by Harrisonburg-Rockingham dispatch and heard live via privately-owned police scanners.
Civilians with smart phone scanner apps also received a recording of the audio with a transcript.
The message was for the purpose of alerting neighboring law enforcement agencies to a male subject who was, or who had recently been, in the area of Luray Caverns.
While an actual crime had not been reported, the PCSO had deemed the individual’s actions, attire, and belongings as suspicious enough to alert others.
Radio transmission for Page County law enforcement agencies is digital and/or encrypted. Broadcast for EMS channels remains public/unencrypted.
ORIGINAL DISPATCH AUDIO with on-screen transcript via app. Note, while the AI transcript (similar to Siri or Alexa) contains errors, the audio is original and only omits identifying information:
Community members (including the editor of this publication) soon shared the alert on Facebook, with individuals checking for official updates from Page County law enforcement.
Within two hours, the LPD Facebook page posted the following message:
The Luray Police Department is aware of the social media posts regarding a suspicious male.
Luray officers and Page County Sheriff’s Office did respond to a call of a suspicious male in the Town of Luray.
Officers identified the male and at the time of contact there was no evidence that any crime had been committed.
We have no reason to believe at this time that the individual is a threat or has made any threats to the public.
We are aware there are social media posts and apps that are not accurate or relaying misleading information.
LPD Chief C.S. “Bow” Cook went on to tell Page Valley News that reports of the individual wearing a “bulletproof vest and armored helmet” were not accurate.
The PCSO has not released a statement regarding the incident or why a BOLO with erroneous information was sent to neighboring law enforcement agencies.