It’s been awhile since Pokemon Go was in the news for the wrong reason. Back when it was new, the AR mobile title were identified as causes of accidents, among other strange stories. Another case from back then making the news recently saw it leading to the firing of two police officers in Los Angeles, because they prioritised the game over a robbery.
USA Today reports that two LAPD officers were fired for ignoring a robbery call in favour of playing Pokemon Go in April 2017. Court documents state that the two former officers filed for an unsuccessful appeal challenging the decision to fire them.
The day of the incident was described as a busy day, with more calls than police cars available to respond. And that was when there was a call about a robbery in progress. The patrol supervisor had at the time tried to radio the two former cops to act as backup, but received no response. As for the two ex-policemen, they claim that they were at a park with loud music, and as a result, did not hear the radio call.
Their in-car video system, though, told another story. When the call for backup came in, the ex-policemen turned out to be near the robbery, lied about their location and claimed that they were in a different location. Instead of catching the robbers, they instead caught a Snorlax and a Togetic in Pokemon Go.
Both of them were fired from the LAPD. They appealed their case, which was denied on 7 January.
(Source: California Courts via USA Today)
