Cool Connection

PICTURED ABOVE

After much consideration, the Nicholasville Police Department turned a military surplus utility truck into the department’s copsicle truck. Sgt. Kevin Grimes, left, and Chief Todd Justice, right, said the copsicle program has paid big dividends toward fostering positive community relations . (Photo by Jim Robertson)

Bridging the gap between law enforcement and their communities is a constant objective for most agencies. Thanks to some sweet treats and a little innovation, one agency in central Kentucky came up with a way to beat the heat and create a cool connection.

In early August, the Nicholasville Police Department introduced its “copscile” truck to the community.

The truck, crewed by two to four officers, travels throughout the community – parks, daycares, schools, store parking lots, neighborhoods, and community events – to pass out free popsicles while mingling with citizens.

Idea Comes Together

Before the copsicle program was a thought, Police Chief Todd Justice had been mulling over utilization options for a military surplus utility truck it received a few years back and was leaning toward getting rid of it.

When the department first obtained the truck, there were thoughts about using it for the NPD Hostage Negotiation Team, but it never materialized.

“It just sat out in the parking lot for about two years,” Justice said.

However, in July while researching ideas for connecting with the Nicholasville citizenry, the chief came across the copsicle idea.

“I was searching online, and I found an agency in Pennsylvania had this copsicle idea,” Justice said. “They had a school bus they converted into a copsicle truck. They used it in their community, and I thought, ‘We could do that here.’”

After viewing the YouTube video, Justice took his idea to the NPD Community Services Division.

“I met with our Community Services (officers), and I said, ‘OK, guys, stick with me. This is a crazy idea but hear me out,’” Justice said.

At first, the Community Services Division officers were dumbfounded.

“When Todd first told us about this, I looked at him and told him he’d lost his mind,” Sgt. Kevin Grimes quipped. “Then he showed me the YouTube video, and I said to myself, ‘Why haven’t we thought about doing this before now?’”

The Truck

The first step was to get the surplus truck to look kid-friendly with a splashy design.

Grimes contacted a college student, Ty Hutchens, who had done some previous graphic design work on the department’s accident reconstruction vehicle.

“We asked him to go wild and crazy and make it fun,” Grimes said. “We had four or five drawings until we got what we liked. He had the design ready in a week.”

(Photo by Jim Robertson)

The design features a polar bear in a police uniform holding an ice cream cone with the NPD shoulder patch logo as the ice cream.

While Hutchens worked on the graphics, Grimes and Officer Adam Teater began to round up items that NPD would need to complete the truck’s transition.

This included a pair of 8-cubic feet deep freezers, which NPD obtained from the Nicholasville Lowe’s store.

Grimes said the home improvement chain gave them a deal on the freezers, essentially, buy one, get one free.

Once the graphics were finalized, the truck was sent to L&W Emergency Equipment in Lawrenceburg to be painted.

“They ended up donating some lights and a siren on the truck,” Grimes added. The truck’s audio system can play the Ghostbuster’s theme as well as the theme to the television show COPS.

The freezers can hold an estimated 3,500 popsicles each, and Grimes said the cost to the department is minimal as NPD partnered with Pop-Ice out of Chicago.

“They have a program called Cops and Pops,” Grimes explained. “I got a hold of them, and they sent us vouchers for free popsicles for the first 1,000 popsicles. When the vouchers came in, I went to Walmart and bought 1,000 popsicles.”

Pop-Ice will continue to send the NPD vouchers, and Grimes and Justice said many Nicholasville citizens are also donating popsicles for the cause. NPD will also make popsicle purchases, as needed.

“It doesn’t cost a whole lot,” Grimes said. “You can get a hundred popsicles for something like $4.”

Relationship Building

In the first couple of weeks, the copsicle truck has proven its worth, Justice said.

“It’s an easy way to get positive interaction,” Justice said. “There’s very little cost and effort in the grand scheme of things. The reward outweighs the risk to do it. For positive influence and interaction, it’s worth it.”

Grimes agreed.

“That was one of the main priorities with the program, to get out there and be involved with our community,” he said. “We let them see that we’re not only police officers, but we’re also human beings. We’ll eat a popsicle with them and have conversations with them. This bridges that gap that we so often see between law enforcement and the public.”

(Photo by Jim Robertson)

Grimes and Justice said it is essential for any law enforcement agency to find ways to bridge the gap, especially when it comes to children.

“Most kids’ interaction with police has been negative because we show up at their house when mom or dad have done something wrong,” Grimes said. “That’s all they’ve ever seen. We want to fix that and make it a better relationship.”

The copsicle truck has been well-received by the public, Justice said.

“It’s great to see the smiles on kids’ faces, and even the adults,” he said. “Everybody loves popsicles. We get out and have a good time with them. I’ve been out a couple of times with the truck, and it’s great to see the public’s reaction.”

Sometimes the public’s reaction will draw a laugh, Grimes said.

“One guy told me, “You’re usually giving me tickets, not popsicles.’” I said, “That’s funny. Today, buddy, you can even pick your flavor.”