Bel Air Police: Don't Play Pokemon Go Alone

Bel Air, MD — Have you spotted people around Bel Air engrossed in their phones, trying to catch Pokemon?

The Bel Air Police Department is cautioning people not to play alone if they are out and about engaged in the Pokemon Go game, whose goal is to catch the character through a virtual reality app.

"[The] Pokemon Go app/game is becoming increasingly popular and presents safety issues for those playing the game," the Bel Air Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.

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"Potential safety risks include falling, stumbling, tripping, walking into the roadway or into traffic, walking into other persons, signs, trees or buildings," police said. The department advised Pokemon Go players to have friends with them who are not playing the game. "This means that they are looking out for your safety."

Wildly popular, Pokemon 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, including a group held up in Parkville.

• Related: Pokemon Go Players Robbed at Gunpoint: Baltimore County Police
  

"I had a car slam on its brakes in traffic ahead of me twice on Main [Street] to catch Pokemon," one person commented on the Bel Air Police Department's post about Pokemon Go. "....you can't catch them all if you're dead."

How It Works

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

When players are near a Pokemon, their smartphones will vibrate, and the goal is to "catch" the character by throwing a PokeBall and adding it to their PokeDex.

The game uses a phone's GPS and camera to turn the real world into a gigantic scavenger hunt.
Developers have added PokeStops — from libraries to parks to churches — in each town. Through an in-game item called a “Lure Module,” Pokemon is attracted to a PokeStop for 30 minutes, visible to everyone nearby.

Around the country there have been reports of suspects using the Pokemon Go game to find their victims through the PokeStops.

In light of this viral trend, police departments are urging Pokemon Go players to be careful, particularly urging people to look both ways when crossing a street.

Here is the full advisory from the Bel Air Police Department:

"[The] Pokemon Go app/game is becoming increasingly popular and presents safety issues for those playing the game. Potential safety risks include falling, stumbling, tripping, walking into the roadway or into traffic, walking into other persons, signs, trees or buildings. We ask that when you are playing this game that you have someone with you that is not playing the game and that this person is paying attention to your surroundings. This means that they are looking out for your safety. Pay attention to your surroundings, don’t drive and play the game. ‪#‎PokemonGO‬"

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