BUFFALO, NY — On Thursday, The Police Athletic League of Buffalo kicked off the summer season of PLAYSTREETS, a program dedicated to bringing free sports clinics to kids.
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, kids small and older can go to Walden, Hillary, Riverside, Delaware and Cazenovia parks to engage with law enforcement in a positive way.
Lieutenant Todd McAlister told 7 News these sports programs help shape kids' perspective's on law enforcement.
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"Kickball is one of those sports that anybody can play, you have basketball, baseball and you have swimming but, you have kickball everybody is involved and i know our officers are happy to be out here."
The program also gives the kids free sports equipment ike jump ropes, hula-hoops, soccer balls and even basketballs.
Executive Director of PAL, Nekia Kemp says this program connects the young and the older kids.
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"It's about building that community trust and that friendship and knowing these kids by name, and at the end of the day they are just kids and they wanna play, and it's also nice to have the teenagers kind of talk and interact with one another without their phones."
The PLAYSTREETS program is free and parents can sign-up here.
