Police officers and community members came together for the inaugural “Ice Cream With an Officer” event.
Similar events take place nationwide, but this one happened at The Lands at Hillside Farms in Shavertown. Different police departments enjoyed free ice cream with people as a way to build relationships, answer questions and talk more about the police force.
Trooper Carl Puskar, Office of Community Engagement with the Pennsylvania State Police, spoke with FOX56 about how the activity helps build trust.
“It’s a great way to humanize the badge,” said Puskar. “They see us in a different light. We just had an ice cream scooping competition with the Kingston Twp. Police Department. It’s a great way for the community to come out and just interact with police officers when we’re not on a call. We’re not on a traffic stop. They can come out and speak to us about anything.”