This guidebook outlines steps for maximizing public surveillance programs’ impact on crime control and prevention, including questions decisionmakers should consider to optimize their surveillance systems. The guide can also help agencies identify surveillance goals, consider their systems’ limitations and constraints, and develop strategies for meaningful improvements. We draw on findings from our 2016-2019 partnership with the Milwaukee Police Department, during which we identified strategies for improving the city’s camera program and assessed the degree to which these upgrades impacted crime and public safety. Our team also interviewed Milwaukee stakeholders who worked within the camera program or routinely used its footage in their work.