Philadelphia police union hands out Mister Softee ice cream outside DA’s office to show he's ‘soft on crime’
'So we’re figured we would go out and bring an ice cream truck —a Mister Softee truck out — because we have Mr. Softee in the DA’s office,' FOP President John McNesby said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The union that represents Philadelphia police officers handed out "Mister Softee" ice cream in front of the district attorney's office last week in an effort to point out prosecutorial policies it says are soft on crime and is making the city unsafe amid a spike in crime.
The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5 pulled up Friday to the office of Larry Krasner in a Mister Softee truck and handed out soft-serve ice cream while encouraging people to vote for Carlos Vega, his challenger in an upcoming primary.
"So we figured we would go out and bring an ice cream truck —a Mister Softee truck out — because we have Mr. Softee in the DA’s office," FOP President John McNesby told FOX Philadelphia. "Soft on crime, soft on sentencing. Too many shootings. We got six people a day average being shot in Philadelphia that’s ridiculous."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CHICAGO CRIME: 46 PEOPLE SHOT, 7 KILLED DURING WEEKEND VIOLENCE
The union and Krasner's office have sparred in recent years over his efforts to implement criminal justice reforms, including his position on cash bail.
"We are reminding residents about Larry Krasner’s soft-on-crime policies that have made Philadelphia unsafe and dangerous," McNesby said in a press release sent to Fox News. "Krasner’s failed social experiment is costing lives all across this city."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a statement to the news outlet, Krasner's campaign noted that he has received more than 60 endorsements from people and groups that "speak for the community, not the powerful, and we're proud that today they are out working to better Philadelphia rather than serving ice cream and spending money on publicity stunts."
Fox News has reached out to Krasner's campaign but has not heard back.
McNesby recently told Fox Business that the city is having trouble finding and training new police recruits amid a crime surge.
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"The climate’s changed. Obviously it’s not a popular job," he said.
According to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s office, from Jan. 1 through Thursday, 79 officers in the city have been accepted into the city’s Deferred Retirement Option Program, which means that they plan to retire within four years. The office noted that during the same time period last year, just 13 officers had been accepted into the program.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox Business' Jeff Flock and Talia Kaplan contributed to this report.