Barnstead Police Chief Paul Poirier says first come, first served.

That refers to the children who swarm his ice cream truck each time Poirier drives it around neighborhoods and school parking lots, handing out Nutty Buddies – a big hit with the kids – and other ice cream staples for free.

It also refers to police departments around the Granite State, each with an opportunity to buy their own ice cream truck, restored by Poirier, and strengthen community relations, at a time when videos sometimes show cops at their worst.

This is cops at their best.

“It opens the lines of communication and builds bridges,” Poirier said. “And sometimes, it’s a person who we have had negative contacts with. They’re coming out and saying, ‘Hey, you guys arrested me last night.’ That has happened.”

For the most part, though, the customers are children who might wear as much ice cream as they eat. Poirier’s vision – hatched through a dream and jotted down on the notepad Poirier keeps at his bedside – is to sell the old ice cream trucks he’s purchased from lots and backyards to other police departments.

With a little help from his friends, Poirier is restoring eight rusty ice cream trucks. He’s finished two others, one of which is parked at the police station and has already brought young smiles to the town.

The other sits in his driveway in Litchfield, ready to go. That one took him all summer to fix, working 10 to 12 hours per day.

He used some of his own money, but the bulk of the funding came from private donations, business sponsorships and federal grants.

“In one month I got offered $10,000,” Poirier said. “Last year it was about $20,000, and that is just from Barnstead.”

Poirier installs music boxes to play such hits as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” and “It’s a Small World After All.” He’s got electronic-sounding bells and blue flashing lights that have nothing to do with a speeding ticket.

He calls them Copsicle Ice Cream Trucks.

And now, departments want it, the lone truck available from Poirier’s yet-to-be completed fleet. The price tag? $50,000, giving the chief a profit from his enterprising idea.

Police chiefs have been calling, hoping to collect funds from private donations, business sponsorships and federal grants. Poirier paid $500 for the one he uses in Barnstead, then 

 

donated tand then combined his own money with donations to raise $7,000 to fix it. That’s the Barnstead truck.

“If a department came here today and said, ‘Chief, we will definitely have the money,’ I’d sign on the dotted line and give it to them,” Poirier said. “Nobody has come forward and is saying, ‘We’ve got the cash.’ ”

Poirier, though, says at least six or seven departments, including Concord, have inquired about launching their own ice cream trucks, and he fully expects several to join once the word spreads.

The police in Newburyport, Ma., Poirier said, have shown the most interest in buying one. Concord Police Chief Brad Osgood saw first hand what free ice cream can do for a community and he loved the idea.

“National Night Out (Aug. 1) was attended by a few thousand community members and all that I spoke with commented positively,” Osgood said via email. “There was a line at the ice cream truck continuously for about three hours.”

Needing funds, Osgood asked the state to help pay for one of Poirier’s trucks, as police budgets have yet to allot financing for what has turned into a great PR tactic.

“We submitted an application for Congressionally Directed Spending through Senator Shaheen’s Office,” Osgood wrote. “On August 4th, we were informed that this did not make the cut. I requested reconsideration but I think the door has been closed on this one. We will continue to explore other sources of funding.”

Poirier never imagined Barnstead and surroundings towns would ante up, but ice cream, apparently, has that kind of affect. Poirier continues to receive funding through donations, both privately and through business sponsorships.

He tells stories of generosity that he never thought was possible. His posting about the project on the department’s Facebook page exploded with interest.

“We’re getting donations, $1,000, $500, and it continues to this day,” Poirier said.

He buys classic old ice cream trucks wherever he can find them. He found the one up for sale on his driveway in someone’s backyard. He has friends who help in the volunteer work, people who paint, cut and install sheet metal, restore floors, create graphic designs, eliminate rust, and clean, clean, clean.

“They have their work cut out for them,” Poirier said.

When they finished the Barnstead model, Poirier took it to the streets, a muscular cop who wrestled in high school, and whose tough-guy interior melted away like a Nutty Buddy.

Or maybe a Bomb Pop, another kids’ favorite.

“Ice cream sandwiches too,” Poirier said. “And Klondike bars.”

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