The Metro: ‘Coolin’ with Cops’ initiative aims to build bridges between Detroit youth and police

The Detroit Police Athletic League is partnering with the Detroit Police Department to start a new community initiative to help build positive connections with the city’s youth.

The “Coolin’ with Cops” program will start with a meet-up at Rouge Park at 6 p.m. this Wednesday, with future meet-ups occurring every Thursday for the next nine weeks.

David Greenwood, director of community engagement and facilities for Detroit PAL, and Sgt. Bryant George, a Detroit Police sergeant and Detroit PAL’s youth development officer, joined The Metro on Wednesday to share more about the new program.

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Greenwood explained how Detroit PAL, a nonprofit that started in 1969, began as a way to bridge the gap between the police department and the community. Greenwood and others with PAL continue to bridge that gap today. 

PAL uses athletics as a way to connect with Detroit’s youth and build a positive relationship between them and the police.

“Well, what we see is growth. What we see is friendships. I think one of the biggest things, even for myself, I maintain a friendship 40 some odd years later, with friends that I met through Detroit PAL,” Greenwood said. “It’s cool to play sports and all of those good things, but we know through sports, we develop so much more. There’s goal setting, resilience, embracing a healthy lifestyle, accountability and teamwork.”

But how do they achieve that growth and teach kids valuable lessons through sports? George, a previous PAL kid himself as well as Greenwood, said it’s all about making it personal for them.

“It’s just all about just being yourself. You know, I wear a uniform to come to work, but I’m still a person,” George said. “And you know, when you allow them to know that, and they can feel and touch and see and you know, you really can just break that barrier of, you know, I’m afraid of the police, or I can’t trust the police.”

George says Detroit PAL complements well with the more proactive side of policing to provide a well-rounded service to the community. The upcoming “Coolin’ with Cops” meet-ups are just one of many ways PAL aims to help grow connections between local youth and the police.

“Our goal is to keep them away from guns, away from gang violence. Hey, pick up that football, keep this in your hand. Go to a good high school, go to a good college,” George said. “Become whatever it is that you want to become, even become a Detroit police officer, you know, like I did, but you know, that’s our goal is that, you know we’re present, and you don’t have to be perfect, but you just have to be present.”

Use the media player above to hear the full interview with Greenwood and George.

More headlines from The Metro on August 7, 2024:

• The Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research is holding its annual Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City this week. It’s a gathering of some of the most important automotive leaders and thinkers, as well as public officials — including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Jamie Butters, executive editor of Automotive News and host of the Daily Drive podcast, joined The Metro to share more about the event and discuss the panels he’ll be hosting there.
• The primary elections happened yesterday in Michigan. Despite an exciting presidential election year, there weren’t a lot of surprises this time around. Congressional Democrat Elissa Slotkin and Republican Mike Rogers will be moving on in the Senate race. And Congressman Shri Thanedar defeated Detroit Councilmember Mary Waters in the 13th Congressional District. WDET’s host of Morning Edition, Pat Batcheller, joined The Metro to discuss the main takeaways from yesterday’s election.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.