In an effort to better track automobiles, the Oxford Police Department (OPD) has purchased three automatic plate recognition systems for deployment on their police cruisers. The Mobile Plate Hunter-900 (MPH-900) is specifically designed to scan and track multiple license plates-identifying and crosschecking license plate numbers against the police database to quickly locate cars with outstanding parking tickets or that are wanted by other police agencies. While the implementation of the MPH-900 begs the question of what exactly happened to the other 899 license plate scanning programs, the editorial board of The Miami Student believes that this is a worthwhile investment for the OPD.

This board believes that while many may complain about the implementation of the mobile tracking system, if students had paid their tickets in the first place this would not be a problem. Also, because OPD will only target cars that have more than two unpaid tickets, we feel that this is not an overbearing or immediate threat. MPH-900 is, after all, a passive detection system that could be used to assist with tracking cars related to AMBER alerts or other crimes, since it can be used while moving at up to 70 miles per hour. In fact, this board believes that because of the assumed strength of the system, OPD should consider deploying the transferable system onto its Segway.

The system carries with it a large price tag-about $20,000-but the revenue lost on unpaid tickets is even greater. While it may not be the most exciting or happy experience, paying parking tickets saves you from having a collection agency breathe down your neck and supports the town in which we live and park.

In discussing this issue, it is this board's hope that those who are hearing about the MPH-900 system for the first time do not worry about an infringement of their constitutional rights. While technologically advanced, there is nothing different between this system and a police offer who has memorized a number of license plates and may see one on the side of the street. This is not a case of scanning the cars themselves or the police going out of their way to arrest individuals, but of just looking at license plates. Surely we must not buy into the fear of "big brother" watching over us.