Google-owned navigation app Waze is hitting back at The New York Police Department's demand that it stop warning drivers about sobriety checkpoints. The NYPD sent the internet giant a cease-and-desist letter that calls for it to 'immediately remove' the police-spotting feature from the Waze app, claiming it helps drunk drivers skirt law enforcement officials. Waze, which Google acquired for over $1 billion in 2013, collects crowd-sourced reports on things like traffic, accidents and police activity that are then mapped in the app. It maintains the feature shows 'general police presence' and not DWI checkpoints specifically. Scroll down for video Google-owned navigation app Waze is hitting back at The New York Police Department's demand that it stop warning drivers about sobriety checkpoints via mustachioed cop icons In the letter sent to Google last weekend, the NYPD demanded the firm 'immediately' remove the DWI reporting function in the Waze app. 'Individuals who post the locations of DWI checkpoints may be engaging in criminal conduct since such actions could be intentional attempts to prevent and/or impair the administration of the DWI laws and other relevant criminal and traffic laws,' Ann Prunty, the NYPD's acting deputy commissioner for legal matters, wrote in the letter, which was first spotted by Streetsblog NYC. 'The posting of such information for public consumption is irresponsible since it only serves to aid impaired and intoxicated drivers to evade checkpoints and encourage reckless driving. 'Revealing the location of checkpoints puts those drivers, their passengers, and the general public at risk,' she continued. When users report police presence in the Waze app, a mustachioed cartoon officer will appear on the map where others have spotted a cop. However, the police icons don't explicitly state that the officer is stationed there as part of a DWI checkpoint. The icon only notes that users have reported a general police presence in the area. The NYPD sent Google a cease-and-desist letter that called for it to 'immediately remove' the police-spotting feature from the Waze app, claiming it helps drunk drivers skirt the law Waze maintains the police icon shows 'general police presence' and not DWI checkpoints specifically. Users can distinguish what the cop is there for in the app's comments section Users can add additional comments on the cop icon saying that it's a DWI checkpoint. To view these comments, users have to click the icon, but they're aren't shown directly on the map. Waze does allow users to distinguish in the app whether the police officer is 'hidden' or 'visible,' to distinguish between cop cars that are out in the open or parked to the side, such as in a dirt road, where they can't easily be seen from a major road. The company said it believes these features lead to safer driving. 'We believe highlighting police presence promotes road safety because drivers tend to drive more carefully and obey traffic laws when they are aware of nearby police,' a Waze spokesperson told Dailymail.com. 'We've also seen police encourage such reporting as it serves as both a warning to drivers, as well as a way to highlight police work that keeps roadways safe. WHAT IS WAZE? The popular navigation app was founded in Israel in 2007. Google went on to purchase Waze for more than $1 billion in 2013, with the app counting about 50 million users at the time. Waze distinguished itself from other navigation apps by including crowdsourced data on its app. This means users can report speed traps, accidents, traffic, police activity and other alerts on their route, which will appear for other users in the app. Since it was bought by Google, Waze has continued to grow. In 2016, Waze launched Carpool, a feature that persuades drivers using the navigation app to pick up people who are heading in the same direction. The app shows potential riders along the way - and it provides contact information for the driver. For each mile, drivers will be paid 54 cents. And Waze will not take a portion of the earnings - until the service gains more popularity. The Google-owned firm launched its carpool app in August 2016 as a pilot project in Tel Aviv and is now set to bring the service to several US cities and Latin American over the next few months. 'There is no separate functionality for reporting police speed traps and DUI/DWI checkpoints - the Waze police icon represents general police presence,' they added. A Google spokesperson had a similar response, telling the Verge: 'We believe that informing drivers about upcoming speed traps allows them to be more careful and make safer decisions when they're on the road.' It's unclear whether the NYPD plans to pursue any further legal action beyond the letter, however, it states the department will use 'all legal remedies' to have Waze's police spotting feature removed. Google has received criticism for the feature in the past. Former Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck complained in December 2014 that Waze could be 'misused by those with criminal intent to endanger police officers and the community.' And the National Sheriffs' Association warned in 2015 that the app could hamper the use of speed traps and put the public at risk. 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