First as police officer for 35 years I think waze is great and makes our job easier. The goal of every law enforcement agency is (if not shame on them) voluntary compliance with the law. If the mere presence of a police car causes motorists to communicate via waze and slow down, then our job is done without the hazards of a traffic stop!

But my idea is for wazers to help the police get dangerous criminals off the streets. Criminals drive to and from crime scenes and are out in traffic with millions of wazers. Police officers issue Be On The Lookout (BOLO's) with the criminals personal and vehicle description over the police radio to other officers. This is a very inefficient system in the 21st century.

Imagine if police officers and police agencies could post BOLO's on the waze app? Instead of a "vehicle stopped on shoulder" alert you get a BOLO for a child abduction, rapist, shooter or terrorist, then look around and spot the vehicle! You push a button and are immediately connected to the 911 System so you can report the criminal to the police. In most places a helicopter and swarms of police from every agency in the area will arrive in moments to apprehend the offender(s).

Police officers depend on the public to be their eyes and ears and report criminal activity. In this day and and age it is more important than ever before for the community and the police to work together to fight crime and waze is the perfect platform to do this.