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It's an annual event each year that is not sponsored by the schools but includes many high school students "hunting" each other down with water or Nerf-like guns in an assassin-like way, said Fairfield Police Chief Robert Kalamaras.
The goal of the game is to locate your target with your water or Nerf-style gun, inheriting the targets of those they successfully squirt and advancing to the next level. The last person left wins the game.
While playing this game, students are typically dressed in dark clothing and sneak around people’s homes late at night and in the early morning hours to surprise their target and advance in the game, Kalamaras said.
"Every year, Fairfield students participate in this light-hearted game and while it's all intended in good fun, it does occasionally spark fear and anger in the community which generates several calls for service that may allocate resources away from emergencies," Kalamaras said. "We ask that those participating in the game be mindful of this and be careful as to how this game may be perceived by the public and the responding officers who are called for suspicious activity calls."
While parents may know what the game entails, their neighbors do not, prompting reports of a suspicious person in the neighborhood, he added.
Each year, the department typically sees an increase in calls for suspicious activity, often by neighbors, which allocates vital police resources to the game when there could be real emergencies elsewhere.
Across the nation, accidents have also occurred and criminal charges have been filed as a result of the game.
The Fairfield Police Department would like to share the following safety tips as this game is ongoing:
- Players are asked to avoid neighbors' yards and not trespass on private property
- Players are asked to avoid playing the game late at night or early in the morning
- Players should not make any modifications to their water or Nerf-style gun to make it look more realistic
- While playing the game, students must follow all laws and the rules of the road.
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