…and people in Hell want ice water.
Someone needs to mention to police services everywhere… you know, just in passing… that policing is not the only thing that happens in the world ever all the time everywhere forever and ever. So maybe stuff that does other things can just be stuff that does other things, and not necessarily a tool for malfeasance. And if it is, then maybe they can take a crack at adapting to change. Like, at all. ever. Just once.
Tee hee… (clears throat) IF YOU AREN’T DOING ANYTHING WRONG, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE!
BwaHaHa! I do so love throwing that one back at them.
Real police who have interest in public safety would rejoice when people are slowing down in the area of a speedtrap.
The idea is not to generate revenue but to generate public safety, which is worth a much, much larger amount of $$ than what’s made off of a ticket that just pisses people off (and reduces business in the area of the traffic stop).
There are tons of ways to make money that don’t involve speeding tickets.
Cop view is the only really useful feature that Waze provides IMHO.
I wish there was a way to tune the app in order to reduce the plethora of “vehicle stopped on the shoulder” alerts that litters the screen during my commute.
Also, I’d love the ability to see what lane(s) are affected when reporting an accident ahead.
The police are like pizza delivery guys. You can order one over the phone and they come to your house. Cop-killers don’t need an app for that!
This feature is one of my favorites. BTW, I am “Waze Royalty” (in the top 1% in my area or state)
i could not have said it better. it’s not about safety, it’s simple revenue generation. I hope Google will not bow to this
Sure. As soon as they remove the license plate trackers from their vehicles.
The post seems to be missing a link to the source article: Police urge Google to turn off 'stalking' feature on mobile app for drivers | Google | The Guardian
I commute with the wife – she drives and I navigate… I try to add a comment to the accident reports with the lane info, but that is of limited value since it is not readily accessible.
I’ll say that I won’t trust whether or not law enforcement is really there or not, but I do find it helpful. Valentine is a better indicator, but it’s a big expense, and you have to intend to speed to see the value in owning one.
In this case, the only reason they might want Waze to remove the feature can only be for removing a warning sign that they’re out there. Possibly, they could make the argument that it would help people evade/avoid them for things other than speeding (drug running, DUI nets, etc.). That’s somewhat valid, but no less valid than announcing presence so folks will think twice about their behavior.
My wife usually navigates and I drive–she has better spatial sense then I do, but I am a touch better at general safety (don’t call me slow! :D)
And we need to limit those darn CB radios calling out speed traps too!
I may be misunderstanding how this app works, but isn’t it a very bad idea to be looking at a screen to see where the cops are rather than looking at the road?
isn’t that what google glass is for… 
If it worked like this, nobody would have invented maps, weather forecasts, or medical diagnostics…
I am fairly certain that this exists so that one could be aware of conditions in other areas as one is driving, so as to not require being there first.
“Safety feature” … heh, no. Fine-dodging feature, yes. And in America, maybe random-shooting-avoidance feature. But it’s not about road safety. Drivers who brake hard when they see a cop are not safe drivers.
From the article:
“To Sergio Kopelev, a reserve deputy sheriff in southern California, Waze is also a stalking app for law enforcement.”
I wonder if there’s a reason Kopelev is a reserve deputy sheriff…
