About UsPAL is a youth crime prevention program that utilizes educational, athletic and recreational activities to create trust and understanding between police officers and youth. It is based on the conviction that young people - if they are reached early enough - can develop strong positive attitudes towards police officers in their journey through life toward the goal of maturity and good citizenship. The PAL program brings youth under the supervision and positive influence of a law enforcement agency and expands public awareness about the role of a police officer and the reinforcement of the responsible values and attitudes instilled in young people by their parents.
PAL Benefits Everyone
When a young person respects a police officer on the ball field, gym or classroom, the youth will likely come to respect the laws that police officers enforce. Such respect is beneficial to the youth, the police officer, the neighborhood and the business community.
Studies have shown that when PAL is introduced into neighborhoods, those neighborhoods experience a drop in juvenile crime during the peak non-school hours between 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm. PAL programs are one of the most powerful weapons we have to prevent juvenile crime and violence. In Minneapolis, ten percent of all Juveniles (under 18) have enforcement contact with the Police. Four percent of overall PAL members have the same type of contact with the Police. Active PAL Kids (more the one activity) have a two percent rate of enforcement contacts with the Police.
Programming
Life skills are taught through sports, field trips, and educational programming. Some of these skills are:
Teamwork
Understanding and following the rules
Learning about consequences for not following the rules
Following directions
Leadership skills
Conflict resolution
