New York News

NY Lawmaker: Pokemon Go Players Easy Prey For Sex Offenders

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published July 29, 2016 at 4:13 PM EDT

A New York state lawmaker says Pokemon Go and similar games could inadvertently give sexual predators a "road map" to unsuspecting victims.

State Sen. Jeff Klein on Friday announced legislation that would prohibit certain registered sex offenders from being able to play the popular smartphone game or other similar games. The Bronx Democrat is also proposing to require game manufacturers to take steps to ensure virtual Pokemon creatures don't pop up near the homes of sexual offenders.

Klein says the game is "great" for entertaining players, but it could be exploited by sexual predators looking for easy prey.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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