The Benton County Sheriff’s Office Police Athletic League is an official member of the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues, a national network founded more than 70 years ago.
Incorporated in 2009, B.C.S.O. PAL was founded by Chris and Kimberly Sparks, and was organized by members of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and other concerned citizens as a community crime prevention program and was the first Police Athletic League in Northwest Arkansas.
PAL programs and facilities are available to all youth, regardless of their race, religion or financial situation.
PAL's mission remains unchanged — to keep young people out of trouble by channeling their energies into recreational and athletic programs. For more than 90 years, PAL programs have expanded to meet the new challenges faced by our youth today.
PAL started in 1936, when a New York police officer was called to a disturbance involving youth. A juvenile gang in New York City, harassing storekeepers and generally making life miserable in the neighborhood, caused the problem that pioneered this approach to juvenile delinquency.
Lieutenant Thomas Flynn, of the New York Police Department’s Crime Prevention Bureau had a special passion for helping kids and came up with the idea to provide free activities to keep youth off the street. Lt. Flynn searched out the gang’s ringleader and listened for reasons behind the kids’ antisocial behavior. From talking to the youth, he discovered that they had no recreational facilities to keep them off the streets. He talked with some of his fellow officers and some of the neighborhood shop keepers. They liked his idea and each chipped in one dollar for uniforms and equipment. Lt. Flynn found a playground where the group could play under the supervision of friendly police officers. The team was an instant success. Before the year was out, there were close to a dozen such teams in the city.
Easily America’s largest juvenile crime prevention program with over 3 million youth members throughout the United States, its territories and Canada, the National PAL encompasses more than 700 cities, counties, and townships, servicing more than 400 member chapters. Each PAL chapter is tailored to the area in which it operates, geared to the specific needs of the community it serves. Benton County Sheriff’s Office PAL is the second chapter in Arkansas to offer this to the community, with North Little Rock Police Department being first.
PAL provides an opportunity to get kids off the street and to provide children who can’t afford to participate in team sports an opportunity to do so. PAL generally solicits funds, equipment, and volunteer help from members of the community, so that the cost to taxpayers is small while the returns are great. Participants in the League's activities are supposedly much less likely to engage in crime, far more likely to praise the character of the police force, and discourage their friends from either committing crimes or covering up criminal activity.
There are many youth-oriented programs, but only one PAL. We are one of the few programs that’s prime responsibility is the prevention of juvenile crime. PAL is more than a mere athletic program, it becomes a very potent crime deterrent.
P.A.L. is a youth crime prevention program that utilizes educational, athletic and recreational activities to create trust and understanding between police officers and youth. P.A.L. provides an opportunity to get kids off the street and bring the youth under the supervision and positive influence of a law enforcement agency. 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. Studies have shown that if 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.
PAL offers free year-round and seasonal educational, athletic and cultural programs for any child between the ages of four and seventeen. PAL is a non-profit 501(c)(3) youth-serving organization with the cooperative effort of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Rogers Activity Center and the Boy’s and Girl’s Club and is committed to providing safe and structured activities to the youth of Benton County. PAL employs BCSO officers and a volunteer staff to oversee these programs to insure safety, competency and order. Our staff and volunteers are committed to assists children with finding guidance, setting goals, and enjoying new life opportunities.
PAL programs and facilities are available to all youth, regardless of their race, religion or financial situation.
