The invention relates to a system and method of conducting surveillance of stolen vehicles. Stolen vehicle information is downloaded from a database to a central server. At the central server, vehicle information is parsed to the specific requirements. Each subscribing jurisdiction downloads its area-specific stolen vehicle database to a subscriber workstation, e.g., via the Internet or an intranet. Police cars have on-board mobile surveillance points having a camera and a processor. A copy of the area-specific stolen vehicle database is loaded into each car's processor. The mobile surveillance point reads license plates of vehicles in traffic, and the processor compares the license plates to stolen plate numbers stored in the database. The processor activates a signal to alert the officer. Stationary checkpoints located in the jurisdiction have a stationary surveillance point having a camera and a processor. The surveillance system stores images and creates a database of all vehicle plates in the area. The surveillance data is downloaded to the subscriber computer. The subscriber computer has a map database. A comparison algorithm identifies stolen vehicles in the area and their direction of travel, and displays the information on an area map. The analysis if performed with a spatial analysis algorithm along with temporal analysis using police officer's experience and knowledge of the area and vehicle types (make/model/value/etc) stolen. The police officer analyzes patterns of stolen vehicles and generates suggested new locations for checkpoints, narrowing in on a possible chop shop location.