Cue 800 zillion downloads, as NBC states Waze is a “police tracking app”… and everyone on Reddit says “I never knew about this app, thanks back woods hick Sheriff…”
Reddit thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/2tptji/sheriffs_want_popular_policetracking_app_waze/
Streisand effect! Waze isn’t this “police tracking” app that NBC describes it as but that’s a great title to get people to say “An app that can track police? Sign me up!”
This is such an insanely dumb argument it’s hilarious. For starters, there is not one case of a so called “police killer” using Waze to seek out their next victim:
Waze has been active for years and has millions of users from all over the world. I would say we have a pretty good track record. Just because something can be used for a malicious purpose doesn’t mean it will be and it sure doesn’t mean that the entire feature should be disabled. Think about it- if someone really wanted to harm an officer they could call them on their phone and the cops would come right to them in minutes. Why go through the more complicated step of using Waze to locate a police officer (especially when there is no guarantee there will even be an officer present by the time the madman/woman gets there) when there are so many faster and easier means to do your dirty work? There is no logical reason to do something like that.
Knowing the presence of the police is a great feature to have and it makes things safer for me and the cops. A cop parked on the side of the roads causes traffic to slow down. This can be a huge hazard so if I can get warned in advance I am that much safer. In addition to that, in my state it’s the law to either slow down or move over when an officer is parked. Once again, I get the heads up. Any officer will tell you that making a traffic stop is dangerous and there is always the chance someone wont stay clear. I can guarantee you that [b]this[/b] (SFW) is a thousand times more likely than someone using Waze to locate an officer with malicious intent.
Now, you could make the argument that criminals are using the app while already committing a crime to know when the cops are approaching, but officer Kopelev doesn’t even bother making that claim. They just make up a danger that doesn’t exist to try to justify their fear of a legitimate, perfectly legal feature. If cops really were concerned about their safety they would be all for Waze. It’s so obvious what their motive for hating this feature really is.
I hope that Google and all the developers here at Waze kindly gives these cops who want this feature removed the middle finger.
Just want to add my voice to the overwhelming majority of viewers (and Americans) who support identifying the locations of police speed traps.
Since cars first had headlamps and roads first had speed traps, we’ve been alerting our fellow motorists to those traps. Every so often, a sheriff’s office has tried to prosecute those courteous motorists who give the double-flash of the high beams to indicate the traps, claiming interference with law enforcement.
I know that Google will stand pat on this, but let’s just all add our support to this modernization of driver courtesy.
Now if Waze could only flag cars who don’t know to stay right except to pass…
And the police wonder why so few trust them anymore when they come out with hysterics such as this. You’re sitting in a reflective, marked car and wearing an uncomfortable polyester uniform that makes you stand out like a bowling pin at the end of an alley and you think Waze is making you a target?
Newsflash: If you’re so worried about your own well being, perhaps being a cop wasn’t the smartest career choice. And until anyone can document that a single cop has even been verbally harassed, much less “stalked” or “targeted” because of a speed trap report on Waze, they can go straight to Hades on the first train out of the station.
I want to add my note of support here. There is…to be nice, I’ll say, ‘overly diligent’, law enforcement community in a nearby city that I have to pass through during my commute every day. Waze not only helps me avoid speed traps, but it also helps me notify when a police officer has someone pulled over ahead. We have a ‘move over law’ in Georgia where you have to give a wide (and sometimes dangerously wide) berth to law enforcement and emergency vehicles or you risk getting pulled over.
For drivers, there’s nothing like the feeling of being ‘stalked’ or ‘targeted’ because you’re going with the flow of traffic and the local police need to meet their quotas…
Dear Waze,
Please don’t remove the police tracking feature. It’s a very useful feature.
And now the verge is reporting cops using the app
Miami cops are falsely reporting their locations on Waze to trick drivers
http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/12/8025209/waze-miami-cops-false-reporting-google-traffic-app
Now it’s just a big PR Waze took the hit Apple 8th place hit the most popular free apps
If they’re posting from one location about other locations, I’d love to know how. I could use this feature in my day job as a firefighter / social media representative for the FD.
Is this the connected citizens program?
“Police Tracking App” I think I just found the name for my next band.
I am still waiting for someone to start a Waze area managers subreddit.
I saw a “shower thoughts” post last week about Gmaps that was basically “I wish Gmaps had all sorts of features that I didn’t know already exists inside waze”.