SAN ANTONIO – Standing inside the glass door at the front of his church, Pastor Derrick Thomas spied on his own parking lot for a particular reason.
"Once cars approach, we'll actually go out and approach them from this spot," he said.
Thomas is trying to "catch 'em all," but unlike the millions of people playing “Pokémon Go," he's not looking for Pokémon. He's looking for people on the app.
In the popular mobile app, the church is the site of a gym where players can battle Pokémon. Thomas said players have flocked to the church since last week, many coming onto the property. That makes him concerned for the safety of the children in the church's day care.
"As of today, we've had to run off at least 40 cars at a minimum," he said.
Those aren't counting anyone lurking around the edges of the church either. Thomas said people have even stuck their hands through the back fence to play. A chain at one of the entrances has been knocked down, too, presumably by “Pokémon Go” players.
"I shouldn't be able to do this," he said, wiggling one of the posts for the chain. "It was broken when we came in two days in a row.”
The constant traffic concerns him because of the day care the church runs. Thomas said they have no way to know for sure why someone's lurking around the property, so they have to take the highest precautions to keep the children safe.
"We don't know if they're pedophiles," he said. "We don't know if they're people who snatch children. We don't know the situation."
Bexar County Sheriff's Office spokesman James Keith said deputies have stepped up patrols in the area after getting a complaint Wednesday.
"I understand it could just be somebody playing the game, but when it comes to children, we want to take those extra precautions," Keith said.
Thomas said he doesn't mind new people showing up for services. He just wants them to be there to get religion, not Pokémon.