Report

With increasing violent crime in Baltimore between 2014 and 2015, Baltimore Police Department (BPD) leaders employed an experimental strategy called “persistent surveillance,” which was the use of aerial photographic systems to cover large areas over extended periods of time. The program in Baltimore was named the “Baltimore Community Support Program” (BCSP) and is currently not operational pending an organizational determination of its effectiveness. The National Policing Institute (PF) conducted a limited review of the program and concluded that persistent surveillance has the potential to increase clearance of crimes and reduce investigation costs, but a more rigorous evaluation should be conducted before American policing employs it on a larger scale.