[ad_1]
A California appeals court upheld the firings of two Los Angeles Police Department officers who did not respond to an ongoing robbery and instead went to look for a Snorlax in the Pokemon go augmented reality game.
Officers Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell were being recorded by a digital in-car video system (DICVS) when they decided to catch a Pokémon after failing to respond to a robbery on Saturday, April 15, 2017, according to the ruling issued by the Court of Justice. California Appeals. Friday. A rights board found the officers “guilty of multiple counts of misconduct” based in part on the “recording that captured the petitioners deliberately renouncing their duty to assist a commanding officer in responding to an ongoing robbery and playing a Pokémon mobile phone game while on duty. ” ”Said the ruling.
The former officers appealed, alleging that the city “acted contrary to the law by using the DICVS recording in its disciplinary proceedings and by denying them the protections of the Law on Procedural Rights of Public Safety Officers,” said Friday’s ruling. A trial court rejected the petition to challenge the dismissals, and a three-judge panel in the appeals court unanimously upheld that decision on Friday.
“Oh fuck you”
Lozano and Mitchell were on a nearby patrol when there was a radio call to respond to an ongoing robbery involving multiple suspects at a Macy’s in the Crenshaw Mall. They later told their supervisor, Sgt. José Gómez, who did not hear the call for reinforcements at the mall, but the DICVS recording showed that they ignored attempts to communicate with them, said the ruling:
After Communications made a second attempt to contact the petitioners, Officer Lozano asked if they should “ask [communications] if there’s a message. “Officer Mitchell responded,” It’s up to you. Whatever you think. I don’t want them to think that we are not paying attention to the radio. “Lozano replied:” Oh, screw it. “The petitioners did not attempt to respond on the radio when they called his unit.
Instead of heading toward the scene of the robbery, officers “backed down the alley and away from the mall,” the ruling says.
Snorlax on 46th and Leimert
The search for a Snorlax allegedly began at 6:09 pm, five minutes after Lozano said, “to hell.”
The ruling explained:
Officer Mitchell alerted Lozano that “Snorlax” “just appeared” in “46th and Leimert.” After noticing that “Leimert does not arrive until 46”, Lozano replied: “Oh, you [know] What I can do? I will [go] Go down 11 and go up Crenshaw. I know I can get there that way. “Mitchell suggested a different route and then told Lozano,” We have four minutes.
For approximately the next 20 minutes, the DICVS captured the petitioners arguing about Pokémon as they drove to different places where the virtual creatures apparently appeared on their mobile phones. On his way to the Snorlax location, Officer Mitchell alerted Officer Lozano that “a Togetic just appeared,” and noted that it was “[o]n Crenshaw, just south of 50th Street. “After Mitchell apparently caught the Snorlax, exclaiming,” Got them, “the petitioners agreed”[g]take the Togetic “and drove off. When his car stopped again, DICVS recorded Mitchell saying,” Don’t run away. Don’t run away “, while Lozano described how he” buried it and hit ultra-ball “at Togetic before announcing:” Got it “. Mitchell told him it was”[s]until trying to catch him, “and added,” Shit, man. This thing is taking the shit out of me. “Eventually, Mitchell exclaimed,” Shit. Finally “, apparently referring to the capture of the Togetic, and commented:” The[] the guys are going to be so jealous. “The petitioners then agreed to go back to the 7-Eleven (where Sergeant Gomez met them later) to finish his watch. Along the way, Mitchell commented,” I bought you a new Pokémon today, buddy. “