WASHINGTON — The town of Leesburg, Virginia, wants to make it easier for “Pokemon Go” players to capture a Caterpie, Bulbasaur or Poliwhirl after dark.
The Leesburg Police Department announced in a Facebook posting Friday three town parks would stay open until 10 p.m. — after the customary dusk closing — to accommodate users of the wildly popular augmented-reality mobile game.
Parks staying open later specifically for Pokemon hunting are Ida Lee Park at 60 Ida Lee Drive, Georgetown Park at 221 S. King St. and Raflo Park at 345 Harrison St.
Leesburg police emphasized that all other town parks would continue to close at dusk, including the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. Would-be Ash Ketchums found on park property after dark risk trespassing charges, police said.
Police said they’ve already caught some Pokemon-obsessed players in the parks as late as 2 a.m.
Leesburg police also reminded players to remain safe as they hunt the virtual creatures.
“We have witnessed players with their faces buried in their smartphones walking out into traffic, not using crosswalks, and generally walking aimlessly around unaware of other pedestrians or motor vehicles,” police said in the statement.
The Pokemon game, released as a smartphone app, on July 6 has been downloaded 75 million times by one count, but has also prompted warnings by police departments about distracted players.
Earlier this month, police said three University of Maryland students were playing the game when they were robbed on campus. Police made an arrest in the case on Thursday.
In another incident, a driver distracted by the smartphone app slammed into a parked Baltimore police car.
Leesburg police cautioned players to avoid suspicious locations and to refrain from driving and playing the game at the same time.
