Danbury Police Department rolls out new 'copsicle' ice cream truck to connect with community
DANBURY, Connecticut (WABC) -- A police department in Connecticut rolled out a "cool" vehicle designed to connect with its community.
A fudge pop may be a familiar order at your typical ice cream truck, but an ice cream man with a gun and badge is anything but typical.
The Danbury Police Department's latest police vehicle is an ice cream truck, appropriately titled the "copsicle."
"It is very new because I've never seen a police truck like this," said a young girl attending summer camp.
The department inaugurated the newest addition to its fleet by serving up free frozen treats at a summer camp. The copsicle is the first of its kind in Connecticut: a 1979 Good Humor truck completely restored by a New Hampshire-based company that makes custom creations for police departments nationwide.
"The contents of the truck are for the kids, the look and the appearance of the truck are for the parents," said Danbury Police Department Sgt. Alex Relyea. "Everyone remembers this exact truck showing up to the baseball field when they were kids, how could you not love that?"
Sgt. Relyea, who heads up the department's community affairs unit, pitched the idea as a way to connect with kids, and reassure members of Danbury's immigrant population during uncertain times.
"We have one of the most diverse cities in the country here, folks from all over, over 60 languages spoken in our city," Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves said. "This is a way for people to engage our police officers, to know that they are there to serve them, that they can be trusted."
"We just think it's a going to be a good way of connecting, a conversation piece to really understand what are the concerns in our community so that we can address them," said Danbury Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour.
There are no complaints so far.
The copsicle cost $36,000, paid for by cannabis tax revenue. The dividends it yields are expected to be priceless.
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