EDITORIAL: Getting security plans straight

Administrators must communicate about big-ticket projects like Sensormatic before plunging into haphazard implementation. Even better than the system itself, which would incorporate such futuristic touches as "biometric handprint scanners" to verify the identity of those seeking entry into University dorms even with valid PennCards, was the system's scheduled implementation date of later this semester. It now appears this was a lofty and unachievable goal. Without a coherent administrative structure -- or even a permanent director -- the Department of Housing and Residence Life has "absolutely no details" about where the security plan now stands, according to Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta. And it doesn't look like Public Safety Security Director Chris Algard, who seems to want to start pilots of the system within a few months, has told the Residential Facutly Council or the student Residential Advisory Board much about when the system will be implemented, either. It's disturbing that administrators charged with bringing residential security from the drawing board into reality lack so much crucial information about the new system. The shoddiness of the existing administrative organization means that even when Sensormatic's technologies are implemented, there may not be a central authority to set policies for its use and monitor its effectiveness. Then there's the matter of cost, since officials have said they are unsure where they will find $3 million to fund the Sensormatic initiative. When financial support is uncertain and administrators don't have their plans firmly in concert, we wonder whether that hefty chunk of change could be better spent elsewhere.