Can LAPD officers play Pokémon on duty?

Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell, officers with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), were on duty when they heard an important call come in over their radio about a robbery in progress. They were close by, but they were engaged in an exciting game of Pokémon GO, an “augmented reality” mobile phone contest that uses a mobile device’s GPS to locate, capture, battle, and train virtual creatures—called Pokémon—that appear as if they’re in the player's actual location.

Did the officers respond to the robbery or abandon their duties to pursue Snorlax (a Pokémon character)? Did the LAPD use the patrol car’s video system to determine if they made the right choice? Read on to find out.

Snorlax just popped up

In April 2017, the officers were working as partners in the LAPD Southwest Division. It was a busy Saturday, and there were more calls than police cars available to respond. A captain heard a radio call for “a 211 [robbery] in progress” at the Macy’s in the Crenshaw Mall. When the call came in, he was nearby and could see the store from where he was stopped. He noticed a police car hidden in an alley just a few feet away.

Back at the station, Sergeant Jose Gomez radioed the officers’ unit and requested they respond to the Crenshaw Mall to assist, but he received no response. He later reviewed the patrol unit’s video recording to “find out what they do on their average day.”