JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- In the past month, Pokémon Go has swept the nation bringing 90s nostalgia into an augmented-reality smartphone application to virtually ‘Catch ‘em All!” Players everywhere can venture in search of Pokémon, but might run into trouble on the way.
Some of the dangers include walking into traffic or restricted areas, and distracted driving.
Because the app is a digital scavenger hunt, players must travel to actual locations to find Pokémon, PokéStops and gyms. PokéStops are significant landmarks where players can acquire in-game items, and Pokémon can battle in gyms for experience.
JBER may not have many PokéStops, but the attraction to visit might be the static displays in Heritage Park. There are four PokéStops, a gym, and a lot of historic value.
Pokémon Go doesn’t identify restricted areas and disregards ‘Do Not Track’ signals because it is a necessary part of the game. It uses GPS and Wi-Fi/cellular triangulation to locate players and scattered Pokémon around the world, mostly in highly populated areas like cities.
Be aware, looking for Pokémon may look suspicious around restricted areas. Loitering, pacing, parking for an extended period of time and revisiting an area are all signs of suspicious activity and can spark an investigation.
‘Catching’ a Pokémon marks the location via GPS and records the surrounding area with the phone’s camera. Inside a restricted area, both can potentially give away classified information.
“If someone were to have their phone out and take a picture in a restricted area, the individual will be apprehended, brought back to the Base Defense Operation Center and charged with an Article 92,” said Senior Master Sgt. Eric Holl, 673d Security Forces Squadron plans and programs superintendent.
Article 92 is a violation or failure to obey any lawful order or regulation under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Air Force Instruction 31-401, 5.1 states “Collecting, obtaining, recording, or removing, for any unauthorized use whatsoever, of any sensitive or classified information, is prohibited.”
Army Regulation 25-2, 4-29(a) states “Portable electronic devices containing wireless communications or connectivity, audio, video, recording, or transmission capabilities will be prohibited from areas where classified information is discussed or electronically processed … ”
For the safety of others, suspicious activity can be reported to the non-emergency line at 552-4444, in an emergency, call 911. If near a restricted area, the closest patrol will investigate who the individual is and what they are doing, Holl said.
Because Pokémon may virtually spawn anywhere, Security Forces recommended to mind private property.
“If you are playing this game in base housing, please be respectful of other people’s property,” Holl said.
Playing Pokémon Go or any other app while driving is just as dangerous as texting and driving because it diverts attention from the road.
“The consequences of playing the game while driving would be a wreck,” Holl said. “It’s the same as texting; don’t do it when you drive.”
Distracted driving accounts for more than eight deaths and 1,161 injuries a day in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
“Don’t drive around restricted areas, there [are] no rare Pokémon,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. John Fallesgon, 673d Force Support Squadron food service supervisor and a level 18 Pokémon trainer. “I haven’t been successful anywhere on base.”