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Auburn Police Embracing Traffic App Waze As Important Tool

By Kelly Ryan

AUBURN (CBS13) — The Auburn Police Department is bucking a trend against a popular app some departments fear are being used to track police officers.

Karen Mueller is a big fan of the app Waze.

"It tells you what's up ahead like a police officer or an accident," she said.

Waze touts itself as the world's largest community-based traffic and navigation app. Mueller showed us how she uses it on a daily basis posting small icons like police officer or accident ahead that drivers share with others.

"So there's a police officer up at [Interstate] 80 on Drycreek and there's an accident vehicle on fire," she said.

We went to that location and sure enough we found that accident, posted just moments before.

But that tracking has some police departments taking issue with the app, concerned it could be used to track officers.

Auburn Police Chief John Ruffcorn recognizes the dangers he says are apparent in any app, and he says it's unfair to blame Waze, because there are many similar apps and social media sites.

Instead of complaining, his department is using it just like other drivers do to help them.

"If we're monitoring and getting that information upfront that again we can utilize that to prevent activities criminal behaviors," he said.

With a small number of officers he says the app can be a big help, whether it's alerting drivers to traffic dangers or sending them away from congestion, freeing up officers to more important calls.

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