The new York police Department turned to Google with an official letter in which he demanded to remove from the Google Map information about the locations of surveillance cameras that can detect the speed of car traffic.
NYPD demands Google to scrap Waze app’s DWI checkpoint alerts https://t.co/nJQOXBN20G pic.twitter.com/a1vwewlRFl
— 1010 WINS (@1010WINS) on February 6, 2019
The crowdsourcing project of exchange between drivers information about the location of cameras Waze acts as a Google application and is becoming popular in new York — they are used by 12% of smartphone owners (data Мanifest for 2018).
As reported by Streetsblog, in Google the letter came signed by the Deputy Commissioner of the NYPD legal Affairs Anne Prunty. It says:
«We demand that Google LLC upon receipt of this letter immediately removed this feature from the app Waze. Individuals who post this information, can participate in criminal behavior because such actions may be deliberate attempts to prevent and / or to prejudice the application of DWI laws and other relevant legislation on road traffic. Publication of such information for public use is irresponsible, because it only serves to help drivers who do not observe traffic rules, gives them the ability to bypass checkpoints and encourages improper driving. The disclosure of the location of checkpoints increases the risk of these drivers, their passengers, and a wide circle of people.»
At the end of the letter Prunty warns that «the NYPD will use all legal remedies to prevent further posting this irresponsible and dangerous information.»
NYPD pide a Google quitar puntos de control en Waze https://t.co/aZDmZhLBOH pic.twitter.com/NJ5iJq7APj
— El Horizonte (@ElHorizontemx) February 6, 2019
Experts believe that in NY too few surveillance cameras, and they can’t provide integrated control of speed limits on the streets. There are currently only 290 cameras of thousands, which insisted public activists, including representatives of school parent committees.
Amy Cohen from the organization «families for safe streets» supports the position of the police: «Because in NY very few cameras road safety, is of great concern is the fact that Google helps drivers to identify and select the routes where excess speed will be for them to go unpunished».
Logistics specialist, Janoff interviewed by Streetsblog, on the contrary, sees the troubles in the work Waze «Waze Alerts are useful because they prevent speeding and other violations — at least in those places where the city installed the cameras. If the cameras are in places, which the city considers a priority, Waze only helps. But, given that more than 99% of the streets don’t have security cameras, you actually give the drivers know where you are caught breaking the law, which, of course, contradicts the objectives of security.»
However, in the case of full coverage of the territory of the city cameras, probably would have fallen and the demand for the Waze app. New York is not unique in disputes police with Google because of the surveillance cameras. For example, a similar application was closed at the insistence of the interior Ministry in France to 2017 year.
