Wilmorite Uses Latest Technology to Fight Shoplifting at Shopping Malls
GREASE, N.Y. — The Mall in Grease Ridge is stepping up its crackdown on shoplifters with new technology that will alert police when a shoplifter enters the premises.
“That information is either provided by law enforcement or we’ve personally experienced it here where there’s been a theft and the perpetrator has jumped in a car and made a getaway,” said Al D’Agostino, Wilmolite’s vice president and director of corporate security.
The cameras read license plates to look for vehicles linked to previous incidents, and if a known shoplifter tries to return, an alert will appear on screens both at the mall’s security office and at the police station.
“If they know they’re on the property and they see us, that’s enough for them to go elsewhere,” D’Agostino said.
Occasionally, license plates are hit for other reasons, resulting in police calls to the mall.
“They’ll call us and let us know this car just came in and we’ll try to find it for them. We’re their eyes and can tell them exactly where the car went and if anyone gets out of the car, we can get a good photo of them,” D’Agostino explained.
The same technology has been used at Eastview Mall in Victor for the past few years, and Wilmorite says shoplifting arrests have increased by 45 percent.
“Sometimes they’re desperate or they just don’t care or they’re just taking it by storm, but the technology that we have here and we continue to upgrade with the times allows us to have very good footage and photos that we can turn over to law enforcement so they can solve these problems,” D’Agostino said.
Additionally, The Mall at Grease Ridge is staffed by a Grease Police Officer, and Eastview Mall is staffed by two Ontario County Sheriff’s deputies. If an issue arises, police officers respond as well as security.
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