The close of the academic year prompted the Boston Police Department to reintroduce a sweet note of community engagement. BPD's unique outreach vehicle, an ice cream truck, was recently spotted at Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy in Dorchester, serving up frozen delights and camaraderie to students celebrating the end of their school year.
As part of their community relations efforts, the BPD cadets teamed up with the Boston Police Foundation and HP Hood to make sure that the students' final days were filled with joy, and ice cream. The recent event was documented by the BPD news blog, where they noted, "Our BPD Cadets brought smiles (and ice cream!) to the students."
Happiness wasn't the only thing on the menu, the initiative also serves a dual purpose: it provides an informal setting for both officers and youth to interact in a non-enforcement capacity. The BPD's efforts come at a time when community-police relations across many cities are under increasing scrutiny. "Huge thanks to our hardworking cadets, and our wonderful partners at the Boston Police Foundation and HP Hood for continuing to make these visits possible," the BPD blog post acknowledged.
