The police have a new foe but this time it's the Google-owned app Waze. The police want the application to disable its police-tracking feature as it warns drivers if cops are in the vicinity.
Sheriffs are of the opinion that this feature on Waze could potentially endanger the lives of police as criminals may be able to find where the cops are located.
Waze combines social networking and GPS navigation to provide users with real-time road scenarios. It was acquired by Google Inc. in 2013 for $996 million and the free service accounts for nearly 50 million users in around 200 countries. The app also provides users with updates on car accidents, traffic congestion, traffic cameras, construction work blockages, speed traps, potholes and unconducive weather.
The police are of the opinion that the real-time updates on road conditions provided by Waze can be misused and be deployed to hunt down the cops and cause harm. For some, Waze is equivalent to a stalking app for harming the cops.
Charlie Beck, L.A. Police chief, complained to Google's CEO in a letter on Dec. 30 that the app had potential to be "misused by those with criminal intent to endanger police officers and the community."
While no documented evidence of an attack on cops and its link with Waze is known. Per Beck, the app was deployed in killing two officers from the NYPD on Dec. 20. Reportedly, the gunman's Instagram account had a screenshot from the app, as well as messages that threatened the cops. However, detectives opine that gunman Ismaaiyl Brinsley did not use Waze to track NYPD officers as he chucked his mobile phone two miles prior to the spot where he killed the cops.
So how does Waze help a user in tracking police you wonder? Users of the app can mark cops working in the public domain as either "hidden" or "visible." One can spot a police icon but whether this represents an officer on duty or one who is on their break is unclear when viewing.
Waze's spokesperson Julie Mossler has said that the firm is concerned about security and safety issues and thinks carefully about them.
"These relationships keep citizens safe, promote faster emergency response and alleviate traffic congestion," said Mossler.
However, with the app representing possible officer safety issues, especially owing to the lack of control over who uses Waze, it remains to be seen if Google gives in and disables the feature.
