U.S. – Cops fired for chasing Pokemon
Two Los Angeles police officers were fired for chasing Pokémon rather than fleeing robbers, court documents show. The pair were parked nearby when a radio call came in for officers to respond to a shop robbery.
A captain in the area responded to the robbery call that day, leading to questions from their patrol supervisor, Sergeant Jose Gomez, court documents say. Mr Gomez tried to contact the officers multiple times but reportedly did not receive a response.
A departmental probe revealed that the two officers were playing Pokemon Go while on duty that day. The mobile phone game uses GPS to locate, battle virtual creatures that appear as if they are in the player’s real location.
The two officers were charged with multiple counts of on-duty misconduct and fired and would later try to appeal their case by saying they weren’t aware their conversations were being recorded and that their words should be considered “private.” On January 7, 2022, the court denied the appeal.
