The Haddams-Killingworth Pokemon GO Players Urged by Police to Use Common Sense

WATERFORD, CT- The Waterford Police Department has experienced a number of issues relating to the new sensation Pokemon GO.

For the few still in the dark, Pokemon GO is a new mobile game that enables players to travel around and capture the fictional creatures in public. The Pokemon are only visibly through the app’s camera, but players must physically move to locations to obtain them.

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The game is all in good fun, and does benefit the public by getting people obsessed with staring at their phones and playing video games to get out and go places. According to a recent post on the Waterford Police Department’s Facebook page, however, police received some calls Wednesday night regarding issues related to the game.

Waterford police said a person called about a car stopped in front of their house, who turned out to be catching Pokemon in that location. When the homeowner confronted the person playing the game, the player then called the police in return.

A separate instance that police considered “more troubling” occurred around 11:30 p.m. While an officer was pulled up to the department’s back gate and waiting for it to open, a player came up to the car and asked to enter the closed back lot to go get a Pikachu.

Waterford is not alone, as police all over the country have been encountering issues related to the game. From a teen being robbed at gunpoint on Long Island while playing to reports of players entering the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. to battle each other, the game is coming onto law enforcement's radar quickly.

“Police Officers are concerned for the safety of the public, and their own safety,” Waterford Police said in the post. “Recent events across the country have heightened that concern.”

Police urge players to use common sense when giving into this latest gaming craze. Be alert of your surroundings, be aware of what you are doing when you play and resist the urge to play while driving or doing other activities where playing could be considered dangerous.

“By all means play the game, but do it safely,” the post said. “Let's use common sense while you play.”

Here are some top Patch stories of recent instances related to people playing Pokemon GO:

• Teen Robbed at Gunpoint While Playing Pokemon Go on Long Island
• Holocaust Museum to 'Pokemon Go' Players: Stop Playing Here
• Arlington 'Pokemon Go' Players: Police Have a Message for You
• Pokemon GO Prompts Warnings, Applause from Local Police
• Pokemon Go App Draws Safety Warning from Annapolis Police
• Pokemon Go Leads To Apprehension of Attempted Murder Suspect
• Pokemon Go Players Robbed at Gunpoint: Baltimore County Police
• Pokemon Go and Chill is the New Netflix and Chill
• 10 Pokemon GO Safety Tips from Your Patch.com Editor

Image via Pokemon Go app.