Children can get free ice cream cones
By Teresa Sargeant
Reporter
In a continued effort to reach out to the community, the Apopka Police Department APD) will host its first Cops N’ Cones event next Tuesday.
The event will take place 3:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, at the Apopka Dairy Queen, 803 E. Semoran Blvd., Apopka.
Apopka Dairy Queen, which is sponsoring Cops N’ Cones, will give out free ice cream cones to children at the event.
In the same vein as Coffee with a Cop, Cops N’ Cones aims to further strengthen the police-community bond. Coffee with a Cop is an APD event where officers and community members chat about local issues over coffee at McDonald’s on East Main Street.
“This event is designed to bring the public and law enforcement closer together,” Sgt. Mark Creaser said via email. All will have an opportunity to have a positive interaction and get an ice cream cone.”
Creaser said Dairy Queen reached out about wanting to get more involved with the community, leading to the March 18 event.
“I came up with the idea and they jumped on board,” he said. “We are always looking for ways to reach out to our community in a positive way.”
Creaser predicted that Cops N’ Cones will generate a great turnout and turn into an ongoing event, but the APD will have to see if Dairy Queen also wants to partner with them.
The APD will continue Coffee with a Cop, Creaser said. The department is working with other community coffee shops to try other locations for the event, he added.
Last year, Creaser moved into his latest role in community policing, which entails fostering relationships between law enforcement and residents. He is planning more outreach projects for the future.
“Being new to the position, I have been getting out in the community and building relationships,” Creaser said. “Hopefully this will generate more events like this one (Cops N’ Cones).”
For more information about APD events, visit Apopka.gov/1099/Police.
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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