Bob Shallit: Mall's license plate watch

When it comes to catching crooks, Steve Reed is resourceful.

The latest move by Arden Fair's security chief: installing a camera system that automatically records the license plates of every car parked in the mall.

Using a $42,000 federal Homeland Security grant, he's equipped two patrol vehicles with roof-mounted cameras. As of Jan. 1, the vehicles will roam the mall's sprawling parking lots, zoom in on license plates and forward the numbers to the Sacramento Police Department.

If Sac PD finds that a car is stolen or its owner is wanted for a felony, its officers can respond.

"This is slick, I tell you," said Reed, as he patrolled the mall's 5,500 parking spots in one of the camera-equipped trucks, which can also help stranded shoppers locate their vehicle.

The "Platescan" system, which officially starts right after the holidays, primarily is a tool to aid local law enforcement. And Reed, a former Sacramento police officer, is all for that.

But he says it also makes the mall safer by identifying bad guys.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire," he says of the mall's ability to help detect felons. "If they're here with a stolen car, they're not just here to shop."

He figures the parking lot camera system will be a deterrent, keeping some lawbreakers from frequenting the mall.

What about invasion-of-privacy issues? ACLU technology and civil liberties expert Nicole Ozer worries that license-plate info from innocent shoppers could be shared inappropriately with anti-terrorism agencies.

"That's total surveillance of our daily lives, where there's no suspicion of (wrongdoing)," she says.

Reed insists that won't happen.

A Sacramento Police Department spokeswoman also sees only benefits.

"They would be our eyes and ears," says Michelle Lazark of the mall security teams. "It's a positive tool for law enforcement."

Reed says Arden Fair will be the first U.S. mall to have a system like this operated by private security. But there could soon be more.

Macerich Co., Arden Fair's management company, is planning to install similar systems in several of its Southern California properties, Reed says.

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Feeling blue: There were a lot of happy people streaming out of a networking lunch sponsored this week by the American Marketing Association's Sacramento chapter.

It wasn't the interesting talk on crisis management they'd just heard from Jace Hieda, Northwest region marketing manager for JetBlue Airways.

Instead it was Hieda's parting gift that generated the smiling faces. Before his talk, Hieda promised that a few attendees would win round-trip flights anywhere that JetBlue flies.

To determine the winners, he organized a game of bingo – but with cards that spelled out JBLUE. Turns out the game was fixed. All the cards were winners.

After a moment of confusion, when everyone yelled out "JetBlue" in unison, Hieda delivered the good news. All 75 or so AMA attendees would receive free flight vouchers.

"I was a little mean," Hieda said later, because he didn't disclose he was planning to be so generous.

That's being mean in a nice way.

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Free lunch: Speaking of giveaways, Matt and Fred Haines are planning a juicy one to celebrate the imminent opening of their new Suzie Burger restaurant.

The eatery, in a former service station at 29th and P streets, originally was to open in June but there were delays.

"Now, because we're opening in the holiday season, we're going to give away 1,000 of our burgers," Matt says.

The free meal will be on Friday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. – or until the burgers are gone, whichever comes first.

Matt and Fred – owners of six other local restaurants – will be on hand to help cook and serve the free burgers, made using the "secret recipe" from the original Suzie Burger (near Sacramento's Executive Airport) that the brothers frequented as kids.

The giveaway includes fries and a soda – and an old Suzie tradition: pickles and carrots with every burger.

The restaurant officially opens Jan. 3. Starting that day, bring your wallet.

About the writer:

• Reach Bob Shallit at (916) 321-1049 or bshallit@sacbee.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/shallit