The Cecil County Sheriff’s Office today announced the establishment of the County’s inaugural Police Athletic/Activities League (PAL).
PAL has a 100 plus year history of working with at-risk youth throughout the United States via athletic and mentor-driven activities that focus on developing America’s youth.
Police Officers and Sheriff’s Deputies volunteer their personal time to help develop and mentor America’s youth. They follow set curriculums that focus on helping kids make wise choices and keep them on track towards completing their education and becoming productive members of society.
According to a press release:
Cecil County Sheriff’s Office is grateful to Governor Larry Hogan and the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and & Prevention for providing the seed money through a grant to get this program started in Cecil County.
“I am very pleased to be a part of this statewide initiative to bring PAL and their outstanding programs to kids here in Cecil County,” said Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams. “Law enforcement officers are role models on and off duty. Giving kids from every walk of life an opportunity to interact with deputies in an informal and fun way like this will bring positive results down the road for all parties concerned.”
Sheriff Adams continued, “To get this started there was no question in my mind that we needed to partner with Cecil County Public Schools (CCPS). Over the last four years the Sheriff’s Office has strengthened our already great relationship with CCPS, working together to found our first PAL chapter was the logical next step.”
“We are excited to partner with the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office on such a positive, proactive initiative,” stated Dr. Jeffrey Lawson, Superintendent of Schools. “Our long-standing history with the Sheriff’s Office is well known not only in our own county, but across the state; to continue to build upon that partnership with the implementation of a PAL program at Gilpin Manor will benefit our students and the community as a whole for years to come.”
“Police Athletic Leagues have shown tremendous success in providing a safe place for our youth while offering strong mentorship and relationship-building opportunities with local law enforcement,” said V. Glenn Fueston, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention. “Aligning PAL with our Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network jurisdictions makes for a common-sense strategy to fight crime even before it happens. We applaud Cecil County and we are pleased to partner in this effort.”
The Cecil County PAL will initially meet every other Tuesday at Gilpin Manor Elementary School in Elkton. Based on interest from parents, the program will expand throughout Cecil County with a goal of having PAL meetings in schools in all parts of the County.
Read the full press release for more information.
