Police Report Increase In Trespassing, Distracted Pedestrians From Pokémon Go App

Police across Wisconsin are warning the public to be safe while playing the new Pokémon Go app.

Since the game launched last week, Pokémon Go has become wildly popular. Players can catch creatures called Pokémon on their smartphones while they move through the real world, which means a lot of people are walking, biking or even driving while trying to catch Pikachus and Jigglypuffs.

“They’re literally walking into traffic and someone could get seriously hurt if there’s a vehicle coming. So that’s a little bit more concerning to us,” Univeristy of Wisconsin-Madison Police Spokesman Marc Lovicott said.

The Madison Police Department has received several calls about cyclists and pedestrians who have almost caused traffic accidents while playing the game, Lovicott said. The department tweeted a reminder to players yesterday to look up from their phones while walking.

Law enforcement in Antigo, Holmen, Chippewa Falls and Caledonia have also taken to social media to warn players about trespassing and being distracted while playing the game.

Antigo Police Chief Eric Roller said he’s concerned players visiting Poké stops – landmarks in the game that are often real locations like churches, businesses or public parks – could start to become targets. Four teenagers in Missouri used the app to rob a player at gunpoint over the weekend.

“People could be waiting at those places, or they’re watching their phones as they’re walking through places,” Roller said.

The Antigo Police Department has received calls of suspicious vehicles that turned out to be people visiting Poké stops or searching for Pokémon, Roller said.

“We still want people to call-in obviously if they see something suspicious,” Roller said. “We’re just hoping that all our time’s not drawn away with just game playing now.”

Roller said he appreciates that the game encourages people to explore their communities. Other officials have said Pokémon Go is drawing more people to public places.

“People are now going to our parks for the first time and enjoying that. They’re getting out and walking around which certainly exercise is always helpful,” said Robert Teuteberg, public information officer for the Chippewa Falls Police Department.

“If this is the motivation or this is the push behind what people need to kind of get out and explore their communities, interact with other people, just go and see new places that you maybe didn’t know were in your city or in your town, I think that’s great.”

The Pokémon craze is similar to when smartphones first became popular, causing an increase in the number of people texting and driving, Teuteberg said.

“This is just another example of how technology is advancing and how we need to embrace this technology, but still use common sense and just be smart about what we’re doing,” Teuteberg said.