One Florida sheriff’s office is giving new meaning to the phrase "protect and serve" — one treat at a time.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has turned $90,000 seized from convicted drug dealers into an unexpected community tool: an ice cream truck now roaming local neighborhoods, handing out free treats and helping officers build bonds with kids.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said the idea grew out of the department’s obligation to reinvest forfeited funds back into the community.
"Every year, our deputies arrest hundreds and hundreds of drug dealers and, of course, we seize their drugs, but we also seize the money that's derived from these drug sales," he said Tuesday on "Fox & Friends First."
"So, through our state and federal forfeiture laws, we are able to purchase training and equipment for our deputies, but some of that money, as mandated by law, has to be put right back into the community for crime prevention programs and drug prevention programs, kids' mentoring programs, and what better way to build trust and engage our youth than having our cops drive around in an ice cream truck?"
Mina said ice cream was chosen intentionally as a way to draw children to deputies in a setting that feels positive and non-threatening, especially in neighborhoods where law enforcement interactions are often associated with arrests, handing out tickets or handling emergencies.
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"Here, they get to see us in a positive light," Mina explained.
"We’re handing out free ice cream, we’re talking with them, we’re joking around with them, and it’s just a nice, light way to engage with our kids."
The initiative has already drawn attention beyond Orange County, Mina added, with other sheriffs and police chiefs reaching out to learn about the program – potentially so they can replicate it in their own communities.
And if kids' smiles weren’t enough to signal success, Mina said one treat has quickly emerged as a crowd favorite.
"I think the strawberry shortcake is a big hit," he said, adding that kids have eight flavors to choose from when they approach the truck.
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