I don't know about your community, but in Norman, Oklahoma, the police force gets a little more invasive every day. Unmarked traffic patrol cars, traffic surveillance cameras and road blocks are all a part of life. I've started analyzing what the community actually benefits by having unmarked patrol cars, and the conclusion that I've reached is that we might as well just have another tax. For all the privacy we give up, revenue is the only real benefit that the community receives.
    Within my own experiences, I've come to the conclusion that unmarked police cars present more problems than solutions. One problem I see with unmarked patrol vehicles is that they hide the officer's identity. One case in particular was here in Cleveland County where a highway patrol officer found two dogs (who's pictures were posted all over Norman as "missing" samoyeds) in a field and executed them for no particular reason. A bystander happened to see the executions take place, went and found the dead dogs in the field, and called the owners. Luckily, the officer was not in an unmarked patrol car, and the witness knew what department to call to report the incident. If the officer had been in an unmarked patrol car, he would have never had to answer to his actions.
    A bad side effect of unmarked cars is that when you see an officer emerge from the car, you have no idea which agency or office he or she is from. In the Thunderbird lake area in Norman, the Highway patrol, Norman Police, Park Rangers and Cleveland County Sheriffs have jurisdiction. If a citizen should see an officer from an unmarked patrol car doing something unbecoming, they have no idea whom to report it to. In my opinion, this kind of anonymity should not be available to officers on traffic patrol.
    Another downside to this entire argument is that tickets = profits. It is a widely known fact that officers "all over" (and specifically in Norman) have ticket quotas. If you should ask an officer, he won't call them quotas directly, but just keep prodding-they're quotas. These quotas and profit incentives encourage officers to "tail" offenders, as they rack up offence after offence, until the officer decides to pull over the offender. The speeding, reckless driving, etc. is allowed to continue until the officer is sufficed with the amount of ticket revenue that has stacked up, and pulls the driver over.
    The last issue I'll cover is safety. Should you be fortunate enough to be pulled over by a car that does not resemble a police vehicle, you may be left fearing for your life. In order to have the best chance at survival, you'll need to be able to tell the difference between a fake badge and a real one. Don't think that having a concealed weapon (as is legal in Oklahoma with a permit) will increase your chances. Oklahoma law requires that you inform the officer that you have a weapon. Tell a fake cop that you have a gun you may be dead before the words leave your mouth.
    Here in America, we should respect everyone's right to privacy. Unmarked police cars, road blocks and surveillance cameras are all invading our everyday lives. These invasive practices should be left for suspected criminals only and should require a warrant. There's a place where the police can invade a citizen's privacy anytime (and any way) they like� it's called Russia.
    The laws have already been passed in Oklahoma to allow unmarked police cars. Do your part by calling to your local senators, sheriffs and district attorneys and letting them know how you feel. Please display our bumper sticker on your car and let your community know where you stand on this issue.