The Pokemon Go smartphone game that has become a national phenomenon has also become a concern for law enforcement in Cobb County, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Already, someone has knocked the top off a streetlight in the Marietta square, and police are patroling other areas to make sure players stay on sidewalks, Channel 2 reported.
Police feel they need to watch over players who aren’t necessarily looking out for themselves.
“We’ve already increased our patrols because of all the Pokemon Go players,” Marietta police officer Brittany Wallace told the station.
Launched earlier this month, the app was played by an estimated 26 million players in the United States on Thursday, Tech Crunch reported.
The game allows players to capture, battle and train virtual creatures that appear throughout the real world. It makes use of a smartphone’s GPS — thus the popular local locations — and camera. The game is free, although it supports in-app purchases of additional items.
It’s another headache for police, who already had their hands full with smartphone distractions.
“We see enough problems with people looking down and looking at a device either texting or otherwise. Now we have another app on the phone that is distracting people even further and that becomes a concern for police,” Cobb spokesman Dana Pierce told Channel 2.
About the Author
