Police Athletic League Football Camp
Event promotes non-violence, community connections
On Saturday, the Kansas City, Kansas Police Athletic League hosted its second annual football camp for boys and girls ages 8 to 18. The event took place at Bishop Ward’s Dorney Field, and despite some early, intermittent rain, drew a crowd of about a hundred young athletes.
KCK police chief Karl Oakman, who started the camp last year, had two goals for the event. “One, we talk about conflict, anger management,” said the 30-year law enforcement veteran. “Being able to get the kids to understand how important it is to have tools to deal with that — because everyone’s going to deal with conflict and anger in their life. The second thing is interacting with the police in a positive environment. Most of the coaches are police officers, and it’s really good to have that connection and do it at an early age so you can start developing that relationship.”
After warm-ups, the campers broke up into groups based on age and position, and worked on specific skills. Former Kansas City Chiefs players Ken Kremer and Gary Stills were on-field talking to the athletes and helping coach the drills.
Washington High School football head coach Cam Smith led the activities for the camp’s young linemen for a second year, and he credited Chief Oakman with getting him involved.
“Last year, he invited me out here to his first annual,” said the coach, “and I couldn’t wait to get to the second one where I’ve seen more returning players. His kids on the D-line, O-line have gotten better from last year, so I look forward to seeing them again next year because we’re having a lot of fun, and the kids are enjoying themselves. That’s the reason why I’m out here today.”
After the on-field activities, the athletes heard from coaches and police officers about the importance of non-violent conflict resolution. Each attendee got a free lunch from various food trucks, as well as a pair of receiver gloves after they signed a pledge of non-violence.
Over 1,100 KCK youth participate in around 15 Police Athletic League programs, which span activities as diverse as boxing and beekeeping. The police department supports the PAL with three officers assigned to help run programs. KCK patrolman and PAL program director P.J. Locke coordinated the football camp.
Locke credited the community with making the event happen. A Bishop Ward graduate, he found his alma mater ready to assist by providing the stadium. The police department, district attorney’s office, and Unified Government were all willing to provide support, along with several local businesses.
Wyandotte County district court judge Tony Martinez was out early Saturday morning to help out on the field. Asked what he thought made the event so important, Martinez emphasized community-building. “We have that connection between the community and the children and the law enforcement.”
“That’s huge,” the judge continued. “We have to build up that confidence in our law enforcement. I think for a while it disappeared, but this is where it starts. With the young, they see the law enforcement out here, they see judges, they see community people, and they’re focused on something positive.”
