Google Maps and Waze route warnings get a little help from the cops

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority

When you think about the police and Google Maps, where does your mind immediately go? Probably nowhere particularly good, whether it be law enforcement officers asking judges to sign off on concerningly broad “reverse search warrants” targeting all Google users who wandered through a particular area, or pushing back against users submitting reports of speed traps on the highway to warn other drivers. Well, it might be time to stark rethinking some of those preconceptions, as we learn about one way the cops are using Google Maps for our benefit.

The state of Illinois is announcing an initiative where its State Police will coordinate with Google Public Sector to deliver real-time notifications for Waze and Google Maps (via 9to5Google). These would involve things like traffic stops or times when officers are offering roadside assistance, where the state wants to make sure that drivers are slowing down and making room, as well as more explicitly dangerous conditions including crashes or reports of other debris in the road.

Should you expect the cops to start disclosing their speed traps in advance? Let’s not go nuts here, but for many other roadside deployments, residents of the Prairie State should start seeing trooper alerts pop up on their favorite navigation apps. The effort is getting started with Waze initially, and will expand to Google Maps in the next few weeks.

All in all, this sounds like a win for everyone involved. Drivers get access to high-quality, real-time warnings about potential road hazards, and law enforcement can operate on the side of the road a little easier knowing that many drivers are being alerted to their presence.

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