Law enforcement officers should be aware that Google has implemented a new feature that allows anyone to cross reference a home telephone number with a map to the corresponding home address. Mike Holt, a Police1 member from the Charles County Sheriff’s Dept., informed us of this unsettling information.
How Does this Feature Work?
- Go to www.google.com
- Type in your home phone number (area code + number) (for an example, you can use 415-931-7136, the old number of a Police1 employee)
- Click on “Phonebook Results” Your name and address will appear
- Click on “Yahoo! Maps” next to the name
According to Google, “Our phone and address listings are gathered by a third party provider, which collects telephone directories and other public records available elsewhere on the web.” This feature may not include “unlisted” phone numbers but officers should double-check.
A Risk to You and Your Family
This new feature poses a risk to you and your family and makes it easy for someone with your home phone number to instantly access a map to your home address. This feature presents an officer safety issue for law enforcement officers and those in related fields. The threat of retaliation is currently a major issue for officers, particularly from Gang members and other criminal groups. Police1 has been addressing this topic on Police1.com during the past several months (see below related stories).
What Can Law Enforcement Officers Do to Protect Themselves?
With internet usage on the rise officers need to take extra steps to safeguard their personal information. First of all, if your number and address appear in Google, remove your number from the service by clicking on PhoneBook Removal Form. It may take up to 48 hours for the request to be processed.
More importantly, Police1 always recommends that officers take precautionary measures in making sure that their home and cellular phone numbers are unlisted and that the caller ID function is blocked for outgoing calls. This is very important to insure you and your family’s safety and can be frequently overlooked.
Related Stories:
Protecting Yourself and Your Family From Retaliation: Part 1 (Secure - LEOs Only)