Where are the Cops?

About thirty years ago, I played one of the first, if not the first, Need for Speed video games on my 286 IBM clone. And it was okay. In the game they showed a map that would pinpoint where the police were, and I thought "that's something I'd like to replicate in real life." (That, and the no-consequences tickets and crashes.)

Then came Waze. Waze was released in 2011 and employs user-uploaded information to distribute to other users. Users could report things such as accidents, traffic jams, and most importantly, speed traps and police.

In June 2013, Google bought Waze and folded many of its features in Google maps. Probably sensing the competition, Apple added many of the features, too. 

I've used both of them and they both have advantages over the other.

They both tell you if there are cops in the area. Google Maps seems to be more accurate with fewer false alarms.* Not that I blatantly speed all the time. But it's still nice to know. Google marks on the map where police were reported (just like in that Need for Speed game).

Apple Maps tells you about speed cameras and red-light cameras. Google Maps doesn't. Apple Maps differentiates between direction of travel on interstate highway. If you're headed west, it won't warn you about police on the eastbound side. Google Maps doesn't do that.

Google Maps gives you choices of more gas or energy efficient routes at the expense of time, if that's important to you. Google Maps shows where you can recharge your electric car and the type of charger it is and jack since there are four different ones plus Tesla's proprietary one (I'm not sure how many of the four are still in use). I haven't seen Apple Maps show where car chargers are. But I don't look for that because I don't have an EV (and probably won't for at least seven years). 

Both Apple Maps and Google Maps work through Apple CarPlay (sorry if you've bought a recent GM product). Google Maps works through Android Auto, too (Google Maps comes preinstalled on Android phones; Apple Maps on iPhones).

One thing I don't like about Google Maps is it won't tell you anything until you put in a destination. So you have to have it tell you how to get home just so you get the warnings. I think Apple Maps is the same way; I haven't used it for a while.

If you have an iPhone, you can use either. I've been using Google Maps lately because there seem to be fewer false alarms about cops. If you have an Android, you're stuck with Google Maps.

*I sometimes wonder if people make false reports about police to try to slow others down. Seems to happen more in Apple Maps than Google Maps.