July 31, 2018

Newton Police Officers Enjoy Ice Cream with the Community

By Danielle Franscisco, Tap into Newton
Original article HERE

The Newton Police Department hosted their first “Cone with a Cop” event this past weekend, getting to know the community while enjoying some ice cream.

The event, which partnered with Hayek’s Market Inc., was an opportunity for the officers to meet with residents and for them to get to know their hometown officers, as well as discuss issues.

“Officers enjoyed this great opportunity to meet with area residents at Hayek’s Market Inc. today with our “Cone With a Cop” event,” Newton Police Chief Michael Richards said. “People had a chance to meet and get to know their hometown Officers and to informally chat about any issues of concern. Interacting with the kids was a treat for the Officers too, while all the kids enjoyed a treat of ice cream. We discussed important community issues ranging from drug activity and addiction (Sussex County CLEAR Program) to pedestrian safety (Street Smart NJ). The kids also enjoyed checking out Officer Donofrio’s patrol bike. Thank you to all who came by today and thanks again to Hayek’s Market Inc. for supporting the Police Department.”

Chief Mike Richards, DSG. Steve VanNieuwland, Sgt. Tom Muller, Det. Tom Tosti, Det. Joe D’Annibale, PTL. Dan Finkle, PTL. Anthony Keiling and Special Officer Don Donofrio all participated in the tasty event.

Some asked the officers specifically about the drug activity in town as well as the rooming houses and how the department continues to work to address these concerns.

“We encountered people who had been stopped during the pedestrian safety/crosswalk enforcement campaign, as well as someone who expressed gratitude as they’ve noticed a marked improvement in pedestrian safety since the campaign began,” Richards said. “The officers all felt that the event went very well.”

Along with a cup or a cone of ice cream, those who stopped by got a police coloring book with crayons, a whistle light and a police officer badge sticker.

Some of the children said how nice it was of the officers to get them ice cream, while others thanked the officers for protecting their town. One little boy even noted that the officers of Newton would always be in his heart and was very excited to get to shake the officers’ hands.

Around 100 ice cream cones were served during the three-hour period and while the department’s next event has not yet been scheduled. Chief Richards anticipates that there will be a “Coffee With a Cop” one morning in the Fall, with the location to be determined.