--- title: Pokemon Go: New York Assemblyman Considers Legislation description: New York Assemblyman Félix Ortiz said he is "concerned" that Pokémon Go poses a potential public safety risk canonical: https://time.com/4406908/felix-ortiz-pokemon-go-legislation/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-14T20:23:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T23:16:19.186Z article:section: Politics og:title: New York Assemblyman Considers Pokémon Go Legislation og:description: "Every single one of us who might want to play this game have to be very cautious" og:url: https://time.com/4406908/felix-ortiz-pokemon-go-legislation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdc438946f9bc98ad/69889c045f570fdb4eb21b51/pokemon-ny.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5356 og:image:height: 3013 og:image:alt: Pokemon GO game in New York og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: New York Assemblyman Considers Pokémon Go Legislation twitter:description: "Every single one of us who might want to play this game have to be very cautious" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdc438946f9bc98ad/69889c045f570fdb4eb21b51/pokemon-ny.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # New York Assemblyman Considers _Pokémon Go_ Legislation > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jul 14, 2016 8:23 PM UTC  People play Pokemon GO game in New York City on July 13, 2016. People play Pokemon GO game in New York City on July 13, 2016. Volkan Furuncu—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jul 14, 2016 8:23 PM UTC New York Assemblyman Félix Ortiz said he is “concerned” that _Pokémon Go_ poses a potential public safety risk and said legislators might have to step in. Ortiz, who represents New York’s 51st Assembly District, told [Politico](http://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2016/07/assemblyman-ponders-pokemon-go-legislation-103747) that people who want to play _Pokémon Go_ “have to be very cautious.” “Who’s sending what, and what is the follow up?,” he told Politico Tuesday. “Everyone should be cautious to make sure that no intruders will be able to tap into this and have people think they’re going to the park when in reality they’re going to a be targeted by some rapist. People could think they’re going to the bank, but in reality, someone is waiting to take their money.” Police in Missouri [arrested multiple armed robbery suspects](http://time.com/4400237/pokemon-go-armed-robbers-missouri/) who they believe used the game to target players. Earlier this week, a Pittsburgh teenager was [hit by a car](http://time.com/4405221/pokemon-go-teen-hit-by-car/) while playing _Pokémon Go._ Ortiz said he was concerned people would play the game while driving cars or navigating busy streets. Although he is not yet ready to introduce legislation blocking the game, he called for the Pokémon Company to watch for potential problems. “My big call is to the company, to watch what is happening. They should be vigilant before they become liable,” he said. “If it’s an issue they can pull out and fix, they won’t be liable. 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