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From blocks away you can hear the ice cream man's call. A warbled melody of "Turkey In The Straw," or some other musical oddity, crying out to children's ears. Within seconds a chorus of "ICE CREAM MAN! ICE CREAM MAN!" sounds. Kids throw down their baseball bats, climb out of pools, leap from the couch and race outside. The truck turns the corner. Kids panic. They rush back to their parents for coins or snatch money from piggy banks. Anything for a Big Stick, 50/50 Bar or Bomb Pop.
I remember those days.
Parents of my generation can look back upon the summer ritual of flagging down the ice cream man as a fond memory. A quarter bought a red, white and blue Bomb Pop. Ice cold to the touch, you tore the wrapper off, tossed it to the street, squealed in delight when your tongue momentarily stuck to icy goodness and smiled brightly as your lips turned a bright red or blue.
Mom or dad may have watched from a distance as you made your purchase. Most likely they didn't bother. They had nothing to fear. In those days everyone trusted the ice cream man.
Times change.
Struggling in an age of paranoia, parents today will march right out to the truck, make the purchase, eye the ice cream man with suspicion and keep their kids out of reach. Public perception of the ice cream man has turned sour. Perception is reality and every ice cream man is a potential pedophile. One need only look at the battered truck, peeling labels and smoke belching from an exhaust pipe.
Times change, indeed.
Recently, Tennessee lawmakers decided to study background checks for ice cream truck drivers over the summer. According to an article at CommercialAppeal.com there is need "to work out matters such as who should pay for the background checks, who should conduct them and penalties for violations."
Any employee of any company should go through a comprehensive background check that includes the following:
* Social Security Number Trace
* County Criminal Records Search
* Motor Vehicle Records Search
* Nationwide Background Check
* Sex Offender Registry check, both statewide and national
The same should hold true if the truck is operated as an independent contractor. Anyone that interacts with children in a potentially unsupervised way MUST be background checked. The legislature in Tennessee, or any state, should mandate a thorough background check as a part of the licensing process.
A thorough criminal background check as part of pre-employment screening or even post-hire screening is a low cost endeavor when compared to the incalculable human cost that could occur.
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