The new gadget, an $18,000 license-plate recognition system that scans thousands of plates in an eight-hour shift, was being put to use yesterday at Deptford Mall. It was purchased using grant money from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Within seconds of scanning a plate, the system runs the tag number through various databases and returns an alert if the vehicle was stolen or if the owner is wanted by law enforcement. Deptford is now one of six police departments in Gloucester County to use the technology, officials said.

Deptford Lt. Hank Moffa said that on the first day officers used the system, it led to the arrest of two alleged car thieves, one of whom had warrants in three states for charges that included drugs, assault, and weapons offenses.

The arrests came as officers patrolled the mall lot and the scanner hit on a parked maroon van, Moffa said. Officers waited for the driver, who returned with another man.

"As soon as they get to the van, the officers fell in and arrested both of them," Moffa said, adding that the person wanted in three states attempted to run.

"We got the whole package," Moffa said. "We got the stolen van and the bad guys."

Moffa was among a group of local leaders, including Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton, Deptford Mayor Paul Medany, Deptford Police Chief Daniel Murphy, and mall officials, at a news conference in the mall parking lot yesterday when they announced the use of the technology, the creation of an anticrime unit, and additional signs posted at the mall to improve safety.

The mayor said the town of about 33,000 people has up to 80,000 people come through on an average day. Shoppers may boost that number to 200,000 on Black Friday.

The anticrime unit, created about a year ago to focus on crime prevention and other issues, has monthly meetings with local officials developing initiatives, authorities said.

In the less than two weeks since the license-plate technology arrived, there have been several arrests, Murphy said. Additional patrols are employed throughout the holiday season as well, he said.

In addition, the prosecutor said, drivers are being reminded to buckle their seat belts by new signs posted at the 14 mall exits, hoping to keep the number of fatalities and serious injuries down. This year, there have been 18 fatalities in Gloucester County, compared with 29 during the same period last year, Dalton said.

"This is the start of the holiday season," Dalton said, and law enforcement is working "to make sure the mall is as safe as it can be," he added.

More information about staying safe during the holidays is listed on the Deptford Police Web site at http://www.deptford-nj.org/content/4009/144/188/93/default.aspx