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2016, theCi
ty of Erie Police noticed a need in the community that had been lost. TheEr
ie Police Department envisioned bringing back the Erie Police AthleticLe
ague. The program started in Pfeiffer-Burleigh with approximately 30st
udents. The program began as a way to mend the Cop-Kid relationship. Thisal
lows officers to show that they are people, too, and will enable them toen
gage with the youth outside of work. Officers help the students withho
mework, play organized games, and, most importantly, have heart-to-hearton
e-on-one conversations with all of the students. To

day, theEr
ie PAL has expanded its reach, serving approximately 1800 kids and operatingin
29 different locations across the City of Erie. What truly sets our programap
art is the diverse range of law officers involved. We have around 100of
ficers from various branches of the criminal justice system, including theEr
ie Police, School District Police, Sheriff Department, Juvenile Probation,Ad
ult Probation, and Erie County Detectives. This unique collaboration is aimedat
fostering trust and communication throughout the City of Erie, making ourpr
ogram a true community effort.As

thepr
ogram began to grow, Erie PAL recognized the need for the youth to haveco
ntinuous relationships with positive role models in their lives. Thisre
alization led us to host our summer programs, starting with our first camp atGa
nnon University. We are proud to be one of the only PAL programs in thena
tion to host a summer camp at a University, a testament to our commitment toth
e growth and well-being of our youth.Th

roughoutth
e school year, the students are incentivized with various field tripsth
roughout the year. Erie PAL takes annual trips to Niagara Falls andPi
ttsburgh Science Center for the top 10 kids from each school during the year.We
also take a local field trip that all our PAL kids can attend. At

the endof
the school year, all of the students are provided an invitation to 2 out ofou
r four summer camps: our Boys and Girls Club camp and Gannon Camp. Our firstca
mp is the Annual Erie Boys and Girls Club Camp. This is a weeklong camp whereth
e kids play games and have fun with the officers. Every year, we pick a dayan
d make it a beach day, during which the students get to spend the day out atPr
esque Isle. This is an essential camp. Not only is it the first camp of theye
ar, but the students also have an opportunity to get an invitation to ourJu
nior Police Academy. To get an invitation to this camp, the students mustsh
ow all the essential aspects of being a police officer. Students must showLe
adership, integrity, listening, and, most importantly, communication skills.Su
ppose a student was selected for this camp. In that case, they are thenha
nded a letter from the police department acknowledging all the hard work theyha
ve shown throughout the year. This is another weeklong camp where studentsge
t an inside look at how the police department works and see if they have whatit
takes to be a police officer. They take a trip to the Mercyhurst PoliceAc
ademy, spend a day at the courthouse learning about the criminal justicesy
stem, and at the end of this challenging week, they have a graduation at CityCo
uncil Chambers, where their families and friends could attend. The 3rd campis
for students who have graduated from the Junior Police Academy. This camp isa
two-day camp at Mercyhurst University with its Intelligence program. Thisca
mp is very immersive, where students learn how the intelligence communityas
sists law enforcement in all aspects of work. The final camp is our"G
rand Finale" at Gannon University. This is our most attended camp,wi
th close to 300 students. During this camp, the Gannon student athletes helpwi
th the kids, showing them what it truly takes to achieve their dreams ofpl
aying sports at a high level. Students compete in basketball, football,so
ccer, arm wrestling, swimming, and numerous other sporting events. This campis
a favorite among our kids. Wh

enst
udents buy into the program, its values, and the objective of making Erie abe
tter and safer place, they are rewarded with some of our more extensivetr
ips. In 2023, we have expanded the program to newle
vels. We took our first trip to Washington, D.C., where we took 46 studentsfo
r an overnight trip to our Nation's Capital. The students could see ArlingtonNa
tional Cemetery, where they witnessed the changing of the Guard at the Tombof
the Unknown Soldier. From there, the students took a tour of our nation'smo
st iconic and historically significant monuments. The next day, the studentsco
uld visit the Holocaust Museum and the National Law Enforcement Museum,re
inforcing the importance of education outside of the classroom. We

then expanded our trips to thank our older kids for their dedication to the program. We took 20 students toNY
C for a two-night trip. The first night there, the students were to seeAl
addin on Broadway. The next day, the students were able to sightsee aroundNY
C, where we saw all of the major sights. We then got o…