File Photo – Gurnee Mills | Photo: Google Street View

An automated license plate reading camera was installed at Gurnee Mills in September to help combat crime and increase security at the mall, police announced.

The automated license plate reader (ALPR) system was installed on September 13 and is a result of a continued partnership between the Gurnee Police Department and Gurnee Mills to enhance security measures.

Since its installation, Gurnee police made seven arrests and recovered four stolen vehicles with the help of the ALPR system, the department said in a statement.

The cameras, built by public safety technology company Flock Safety, send real-time alerts to police when they detect a stolen car or wanted suspect listed in the state or national crime database.

The system also notifies police if it detects a vehicle associated with a missing person in an AMBER or Silver Alert, the department said.

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Information stored in the ALPR system is deleted by Flock Safety after 30 days, according to the company’s ALPR policy.

“Any law enforcement searches within the ALPR system require justification and are only used to solve and reduce property and violent crime. The cameras are not intended for minor traffic or parking violations, and it does not have facial recognition capabilities,” Gurnee police said.

Gurnee business owners or residents that are interested in obtaining Flock Safety cameras are encouraged to contact the crime prevention office at the Gurnee Police Department.

“We share an invaluable partnership with Gurnee Mills, and we are grateful for their support as we work together to minimize crime. Using Flock Safety is a crime prevention measure to help stop crimes in progress, provide leads to further our investigations, and discourage future crimes. Gurnee has always been a safe community, and Flock Safety is helping to keep it that way,” Gurnee Police Chief Brian Smith said.

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“The amount of success we’ve seen in the past two months is encouraging, and we hope more businesses and neighborhood HOAs will consider installing the system,” Smith added.