When a pair of police officers pulled over several motorists in Halifax, Virginia, on a hot summer day, the weather wasn’t the only reason motorists were sweating.
Halifax Police Chief Kevin Lands and his partner Brian Warner were conducting traffic stops on July 29 for drivers in violation of “vehicle code 1739”—a violation motorists were unaware of.
“It’s actually against the law to drive on a hot day without an ice cream cone,” explained Lands.
“I was like ‘Oh my God; I was not speeding,’” said the laughing driver.
The young female driver was unable to contain her laughter as she and her passenger were each handed a plastic wrapped ice cream cone by Lands. A total of 16 ice cream cones were given to unsuspecting motorists on that day.
The one-minute video was posted onto Lands’s Facebook page and has since gone viral.
On Aug. 2, as of 3:30 p.m. (EST), the video had already amassed roughly to 28,500 shares and 6.6 million views.
The fun interaction between Halifax officers and the public isn’t a ploy—it’s a common occurrence.
“Myself and my department work very hard to be ingrained with the community,” Lands said in an interview with CBS. “We go to every event, every board meeting, officers attend local churches, shop and eat at local businesses; we’re not just there for arrests and to hand out tickets.”
Lands’s Facebook page shows a lot of these events including the Halifax County Law Enforcement Night Out on Aug. 2 at a local park, featuring free food and games, bounce house, and frisbee golf.
Though he never expected the video to go viral and only posted it for close friends to see, he hopes it will change the perception of officers.
“I hope that especially in today’s climate people can see that cops are humans,” Lands said. “We like to have fun.”
He added, “All day long we do things like this. I hope people see that we are normal people too, and we are not against the public.”
Halifax, Virginia has a population of about 1,300 residents, about 110 miles south west of Richmond.
