Youth ran wild at a rec center staffed by police, some Harford County parents say.
Maryland State Police operated the Edgewood Police Activities League, or PAL, out of a Harford County Parks and Recreation facility on Brookside Drive.
But the presence of troopers at the center is slated to come to an end in June, and local parents don?t sound too disappointed.
“As of June 30, the troopers assigned to the PAL will be reassigned as part of a refocusing of the crime fighting strategy in the area,” said Sgt. Arthur Betts, a police spokesman.
But community leaders and parents have suggested the PAL will be closing because of a lack of trust in the troopers who run the facility, which has resulted in a drop in the number of children enrolled.
“The police that are in there don?t interact with the kids,” said Keith Staggers, treasurer of the Edgewood Community Council and neighbor of the PAL. At a meeting of the council Wednesday night, Staggers said he once took his child over to the PAL only to find kids “having the run of the place” and “cussing.”
“The officers were just sitting in the office,” he said.
“I don?t trust it. I would not let my son go over there,” said Winterberry Drive resident Portia McConnell. McConnell said there did not seem to be structured, supervised activities for the youth when she visited.
Harford County Councilman Dion Guthrie, D- District A, recalled an occasion when he stopped by one Saturday afternoon “when you would expect it to be busiest,” where the doors were locked and the building dark.
“Troopers who are assigned to the PAL center want to work there, so it?s a little disheartening to hear ? these opinions,” Betts said.
Betts also said the number of kids enrolled at the PAL has been “consistent,” but he did not have access to figures Thursday.
“The state police are a law enforcement agency; they?re not a youth services organization,” said Harford County drug czar Joe Ryan, a former state trooper who played a role in finding funding for the PAL about 10 years ago when it was first created.
Ryan said the cost of running the PAL was in the neighborhood of $250,000 annually ? considering trooper salaries, use of agency vehicles, etc.
Guthrie said the PAL could perhaps flourish under the control of an organization like the Boys & Girls Club or the YMCA.
Don Mathis, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Harford County, said Thursday his organization has not been approached regarding taking over the PAL. But county spokesman Bob Thomas said, “The county executive is working on a solution.”
