ST. LOUIS COUNTY — One of two free ӣƵ County police camps for kids has been scuttled after the department transferred more than half of the officers who worked in the program, leaving parents scrambling to find other activities for their children this summer.
The Police Athletic League, a nonprofit organization operated by ӣƵ County police officers, typically puts on two summer camps that run from June to mid-August — one for South County residents, and one for North County residents. The program runs from about 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and offers kids safe summer activities like sports and fishing.
But just one of those camps will happen this year, as parents were informed beginning in late April that the South County camp was canceled.
A post on PAL’s Thursday announced the PAL staff was “gutted,” and they were told the transfers happened because of department-wide staffing shortages.
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“We strongly disagree with this decision and the grave impact it will have on so many incredible young people who have made PAL a part of their life,” the post read.
In addition to summer camps, PAL provides free mentoring and after-school programming for children and teens. It was formed in October 2015 after federal officials evaluated the department following the protests in Ferguson.
Before the transfers, four officers and one sergeant worked full time in PAL; just two remain. A sergeant over a different unit will act as PAL’s supervisor.
“This reallocation of manpower was necessary to maintain our high level of services to our community,” said ӣƵ County Sgt. Tracy Panus.
As of Friday, ӣƵ County employs 845 officers and has 106 officer vacancies.
Two of the three officers transferred out of PAL have since left the county police department.
Lemay mother Beatrice Brady, who said her 12-year-old son was looking forward to his second summer with PAL, called the cancellation “a devastating blow.”
“He was excited, he was happy, he was occupied, he was focused,” she said. “It really did some good for him.”
The PAL program will continue in north ӣƵ County, and Panus said the department is “working on putting together a modified camp for South County at this time.”
Julie Blucker, also of Lemay, said her 17-year-old son has attended the program for years. She said he has autism, and the PAL program has allowed him to experience new things and meet people.
“He’s a very well-mannered kid, and that’s why it hurts us. This program … was something for him to do, that was an outlet for him, an activity,” she said. “With me being at work all the time, I don’t always have time, and they helped out a lot.”
Blucker added that her teen had built a good relationship with one of the officers transferred.
The officers transferred out of the PAL program in April were Sgt. Jenifer Williams and officers Ashley Meyer and Kelly Eller. Officers Darrin Young and Brandon Sierra are the only officers still assigned to the program. The department’s community outreach sergeant, Chris Gilyon, is now in charge of PAL, Panus said.
“We hope one day that ӣƵ County Police Department leaders will take this highly effective program seriously rather than simply using it as a window dressing and an occasional photo opportunity whenever there is a need for good press,” PAL wrote in the Facebook post. “Our children and our community deserve better.”
