Pokémon Go Players Warned of Hazards by Anne Arundel County Police

Millersville, MD – With adults and kids playing Pokémon GO locally and across the country, police are warning gamers to be careful of where they go in pursuit of PokeStops.

The mobile app game based on Nintendo's popular Pokémon franchise uses your phone's location settings to create a semi-virtual world where the user is surrounded by Pokémon. And users can be lured to a site in their town through a game feature, which has prompted a warning from Anne Arundel County Police about safety as gamers head to PokeStops.

The department said Tuesday:

1. HAVE FUN!!
2. Try to play during the day and avoid unfamiliar areas
3. Travel in groups, always paying attention to your surroundings
4. Remember to be polite if in a public place
5. Don't forget rule number 1.....have fun!!

The Baltimore County Police Department also shared safety tips for those playing Pokémon Go after a recent robbery was reported by people playing the game in Parkville.

The app uses a geolocation feature and allows others to anticipate where a crowd may gather, warned the Annapolis Police Department, which said no game-related robberies have happened in Annapolis. While out and about you should always travel with others, stay in well-lit locations, always stay alert and if you feel uncomfortable you should leave.”

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What Is Pokémon Go?

Wildly popular, Pokémon Go has reportedly been downloaded by 5 percent of Android users since its July 6 release, and there have been reports around the country of people being robbed or injured while playing.

Based on Nintendo's popular Pokémon franchise, the app uses a phone's location settings to create a semi-virtual world where the user is surrounded by Pokémon.

When players are near a Pokémon, their smartphones will vibrate, and the goal is to "catch" the character by throwing a PokéBall and adding it to their PokéDex.

The game uses a phone's GPS and camera to turn the real world into a gigantic scavenger hunt.

Developers have added PokéStops — from libraries to parks to churches — in each town. Through an in-game item called a “Lure Module,” Pokémon is attracted to a PokéStop for 30 minutes, visible to everyone nearby.

The app led to a series of robberies, say police in O’Fallon, MO, where four men reportedly used the game to find players at a specific location, and robbed them at gunpoint over the weekend, a spokesperson from the Missouri police department told Gizmodo. The suspects used the Pokemon Go game to find their victims by anticipating where people might go through popular PokeStops—virtual sites in the game that can be designated at any real world location, from businesses to parking lots to churches.

In light of this viral trend, police departments are urging "trainers" to be careful while playing the game, particularly urging people to look both ways when crossing a street.

How to Play Pokemon Go

How does it work? As you move, your smartphone vibrates to let you know you're near a Pokémon. Players then throw a PokéBall to catch it and add it to their PokéDex. The game uses your phone’s GPS and camera to turn the real world into a gigantic scavenger hunt.

In each town nationwide, developers have added PokéStops— from libraries and churches to public art installations, historical markers and monuments. An in-game item called a “Lure Module” attracts Pokémon to a PokeStop for 30 minutes and they're visible and attainable to everyone nearby.

According to Forbes magazine, businesses are jumping on the PokéWagon and advertising that they're a PokéStop on their Facebook pages, which is a great way to entice players to come into their stores.

Have you downloaded Pokémon GO? Tell us where in the comments!

Read more about Pokémon GO here.

Patch Editor Elizabeth Janney contributed to this article.

Still from YouTube video demo of Pokémon Go by Jouer Video Channel.