Make it poké stop! That’s the cry from officials and concerned citizens in the city of Des Moines, Wash., where the City Council this week voted to “opt out” of Pokémon Go in an effort to curb the number of gamers flocking to the public waterfront.
Apparently Des Moines, a city of about 30,000 in South King County, is a hotspot for PokéStops and PokéGyms and the critters that are part of the popular game. The Seattle Times reports that too many folks for the city’s liking are flocking to the marina and beach park.
“It’s been a drain on the police resources. People are driving in there after hours,” Sgt. Doug Jenkins of the Des Moines Police Department said in the Times story. “It’s noise-related, they’re leaving their garbage around. There are complaints that they’re smoking marijuana and drinking.”
Even as a downward trend in use of the app starts to become the end-of-summer narrative, the Des Moines City Council decided action needed to be taken. They met to discuss the issue, heard from people concerned about the crowds, and then unanimously decided to go through the process of letting game maker Niantic know it wanted no more of it.
According to the Times, a formal process of opting out was completed on the Niantic website but there has been no response yet.
