This isn’t the best time for ‘Pokémon Go’ players to lurk around police departments
Jul 11, 2016, 7:59 AM | Updated: Jul 12, 2016, 9:54 am
The latest addition to the popular ‘Pokémon’ franchise has police departments around Western Washington worried about the safety of its officers.
‘Pokémon Go’ players have been wandering outside the department while they play the smartphone game that has quickly caught the attention of not just children, but adults.
“If you feel the need to run around playing ‘Pokémon Go’ this summer, that’s cool,” a statement on the Duvall Police Department’s Facebook page reads. “Just be smart about it.”
Related: Seattle police taking no risks after Dallas shootings
“One way of NOT playing smart is to go creeping around the Duvall PD.”
The game creates a kind of augmented reality by combining real-world surroundings with a digital game map. Players use an interactive map to find and capture creatures located throughout the world. Those creatures are typically found at outdoor landmarks.
Officers have seen people playing the game behind the department in the dark. Players have been popping out of bushes while they play the game.
“This is high on our list of things that are not cool right now,” the Duvall PD’s statement reads.
The department’s safety concerns follow an ambush on police in Dallas, Texas, where five officers were killed during a peaceful protest.
Even though the shooting happened in Texas, police departments in Washington have increased their security. In Seattle, for example, officers began riding in pairs.
An ambush on police isn’t unimaginable for Duvall police, either. According to its Facebook page, two officers were assaulted and one was shot about a year ago.
Concerns over ‘Pokémon Go’ players doesn’t stop at officer safety. The Edmonds Police Department reports people have been skirting a construction barrier on a fishing pier to try and catch Pokémon.
Of course, the local issues with ‘Pokémon Go’ haven’t been nearly as bad as others around the country. In O’Fallon, Missouri four people used the app to target victims in an armed robbery. In Wyoming, a 19-year-old found a dead body while playing the game.
