The Police Athletic League of Kansas City (PAL) offers fun, interactive programs for youth and KCPD officers. PAL is rooted in the belief that all youth deserve the opportunity to expand their horizons and realize their full potential. From mountain biking to playing on the PAL baseball field, we offer a wide-range of activities that build the kids’ confidence, motivation and offer a positive role model.

In all PAL activities, a life skills curriculum is presented by PAL officers and all PAL youth are required to maintain a 2.0 grade point average in school or attend tutoring and make a good faith effort to raise their GPA.

As we coach and mentor these children, we are learning as much from them as they are from us. We work together as a team of PAL youth, the communities in which they live and the dedicated men and women of the Kansas City Police Department. The positive relationships formed between police officers and the community will carry far past the walls of the PAL centers.

Where It All Began

The Police Athletic League of Kansas City is a not-for-profit corporation that began as a community-oriented project in 1994 through the Westside CAN Center in Kansas City Police Department’s Central Patrol Division. In 1998, PAL obtained membership in the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues and incorporated as a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization (PAL Inc.) with a board of directors and certification in the state of Missouri. As a not-for-profit corporation, all PAL activities are funded through private donations and grants. No PAL activities are funded by the department. Through an agreement with PAL Inc., the department has agreed to provide law enforcement personnel as staff, and office space only as available.

Gaining Momentum

The PAL Section was formed and centralized in April 2000 and is assigned under the Youth Services Unit with a staff of six – one sergeant and five officers. The first PAL Center opened in the Summer 2001 in an old KCMO Parks and Recreation Department center that closed in April 2000. Since reopening the Center, substantial renovations have been made, funded by private donations, grants and countless volunteer hours performed by the community and police officers.

Today

Today, five full time officers, two sergeants and a captain are dedicated to building lifelong relationships with encouragement and commitment to the children they serve every day. The three PAL Centers are a home away from home for youth in need of safe, supportive environments.

Police Athletic League relies on the generosity of our community to continue to break through barriers and offer youth a safe haven to play, learn and grow.

For more information or learn how you can get involved with PAL of Kansas City, email us or call (816) 241-6816.

National Police Athletic League began in 1912 with the rock “heard around the world“ or rather through a local store window. A group of children in New York City harassed the neighborhood and caused damage.

Lieutenant Ed Flynn of the New York Police Department wondered if there was a deeper reason for these kids’ anti-social behavior and decided to take a different action than punishment. Flynn reached out to the gang’s leader and listened to the frustrations of inner city youth. One of boy’s concerns was, “Man, we have no place to play, nothing to do. The cops are always hassling us. We can’t even play baseball.”

As an avid baseball fan, Flynn reached out to his fellow officers and community members who all chipped in a dollar for equipment and uniforms. Lieutenant Flynn found a playground where they could play, and police officers volunteered their time to coach baseball and mentor youth. With the first swing of the baseball bat, the Police Athletic League was born.

Today with over 300 chapters and 1700 centers worldwide, PAL serves more than 1.5 million youth ages 5-18.