The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Ok. Well, maybe the sky is not exactly falling, but the eye in the sky is definitely coming down hard in Tampa, Florida. A computer software program linked to 36 cameras began scanning crowds Friday in Tampa's nightlife district, Ybor City, matching results against a database of mug shots of people with outstanding arrest warrants.

   U.S government offices and banks are already using the fast face photo system, but Tampa is the first American city to install a permanent citizen comparison and catalog computer spy system along public streets, The Tampa Tribune reported Sunday.

   A similar system was used at Super Bowl XXXV, which was held in Tampa last January.

   "Tampa is really leading the pack here," said Frances Zelazny, a spokeswoman for Visionics Corp., which produces the "FaceIt" software.

   The software has raised concerns over privacy, ethics and government intrusion.

   "This is Big Brother actually implemented," said Jack Walters of the Tampa chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "I think this just opens the door to it being everywhere."

   But Tampa Detective Bill Todd says FaceIt is no different than having a police officer standing on a street holding a mug shot.

   At the Super Bowl, a Visionics competitor, Graphco Technologies, wired cameras around Raymond James Stadium and in Ybor City.

   The computer spotted 19 people at the crowded stadium with outstanding warrants, all for minor offenses. But no arrests were made.

   "During the Super Bowl, we got overwhelmed," Todd said. "That's the other thing: When you get a match, how quickly can you get to these people?"

   Business owners have mixed emotions about the new technology.

   "I don't know if I like it," said Vicki Doble, who owns The Brew Pub. "It may be a bit too much."

   Don Barco, owner of King Corona Cigars Bar & Cafe, approves of the cameras but says they may not be as effective as the city hopes.

   "Sometimes these high-tech toys, they tend to give a little too much credence to what they do," he said.

   The cameras are mounted on poles above the crowd and are remotely controlled by the police, who can scan thousands of people and feed their digital images into a databank. The database is maintained by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and Tampa Police Department and contains images of those wanted on outstanding warrants.

   The spy cameras stirred much controversy at the Super Bowl this year, earning Tampa the Big Brother Award from Privacy International. Each year, the members and affiliated organizations of Privacy International present the "Big Brother" awards to the government and private sector organizations in their countries which have done the most to threaten personal privacy in their countries. To date, 11 ceremonies have been held in six countries and have given out over 50 awards to some of the most powerful government agencies, individuals and corporations in those countries.

Privacy International and other groups working to protect freedom say the scanning system is a step in the wrong direction. But Tampa Police Chief Bennie Holder predicts that "through this proactive approach, the Tampa Police Department can deter criminal activity prior to a criminal offense being committed."

  Think about that. Now the police will stop crimes before they even happen!

   Police spokeswoman Katie Hughes added that "Citizens should understand that the system does not record or retain images or pictures of persons not already in the criminal database."

  Don't worry. Big Brother is only watching the bad kids. And you are a good kid, aren't you?

  Yes sir!