Traffic app may cause harm to police

FORT MYERS, Fla.- The WAZE app can can help you dodge traffic jams and even spot police well in advance.

Now, there are fears that this popular driving app called may also put officers in danger.

One deputy tells WINK News, it can make them sitting ducks for an ambush.

Sergio Rodriguez does a lot of driving.

“I drive approximately 40,000 miles a year,” he said.

The WAZE app is always on his Ipad.

“It diverts you around accidents, gives you alternate routes,” said Rodriguez.

But WAZE also exposes the location of police officers.

“I think that it is an officer safety issue,” said Lt. Dektas with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Apps like WAZE and social media pages tipping off officer locations can make deputies sitting ducks.

“You are basically staging for burglaries, robberies, you are staging for bank robberies, you are staging for all of those things,” Dektas.

WAZE users post where they see cops on the road and the Los Angeles police chief claims the man who ambushed two New York police officers last year used the  WAZE app.

“I know that the Florida sheriff’s association is involved in it,” said Dektas.

Many drivers tell WINK News, the app is a great way to navigate through traffic and road jams.

WAZE sent this statement to WINK News:

“We think very deeply about safety and security and work in partnership with the NYPD and other Police and Departments of Transportation all over the world, sharing information on road incidents and closures to help municipalities better understand what’s happening in their cities in real time. These relationships keep citizens safe, promote faster emergency response and help alleviate traffic congestion. Police partners support Waze and its features, including reports of police presence, because most users tend to drive more carefully when they believe law enforcement is nearby.”