In December 2014 , in a letter sent to Google , Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck complained about the police locator feature , claiming it could be " misused by those with criminal intent to endanger police officers and the community " . It was alleged that Ismaaiyl Brinsley , who shot and killed two NYPD officers that month , had used the Waze app prior to the murders and had posted a screenshot from the app on his Instagram account hours before the shootings , but that was unsubstantiated as the post was made 3 weeks prior to the shootings . Users are able to mark the presence of an officer with a small icon and indicate if the officer is visible or hidden . The LAPD , among other police agencies , pressured Google to disable the feature on the application . Google states that knowing the whereabouts of an officer promotes safer driving
shot and killed two NYPD officers
2014 killings of NYPD officers
Waze