The Youth Services Unit is dedicated to building and maintaining strong partnerships with school administrators and students to help ensure a safe and supportive school environment. Beyond the school day, the Unit provides meaningful afterschool and weekend programming while serving in the dual role of law enforcement professionals and trusted mentors. Through a variety of social, educational, recreational, and leadership opportunities, the Unit actively engages local youth in positive experiences designed to deter crime, build self-esteem, and foster lasting, positive relationships with law enforcement.

While School Resource Officers (SROs) have been a mainstay at our city’s schools since 1998, the creation of the Youth Services Unit in 2018 further strengthened this connection. The Unit brought together the SRO Program, Detection K9 Zoe, and the Rancho Cordova Police Activities League (PAL) PAL) to provide a more unified and impactful approach to youth engagement. . Soon after its creation, the Unit added a third SRO and a Detection K9, Zoe, to further strengthen its relationships with our schools and students and to continue to improve safety at our schools. 

Since its inception, the PAL unit has continued to expand its reach and impact by:

• Maintaining a daily PAL staff presence at the Rancho Cordova Youth Center including the ongoing “Get Fit with PAL” program, which promotes healthy lifestyles and physical activity among youth.
• Partnering with local business Lees Martial Arts to offer free introductory martial arts classes to youth.
• Expanding the Jr. Giants Program, which connects local youth with the San Francisco Giants to learn the fundamentals of baseball while emphasizing leadership, confidence, education, and health—at no cost to families.
• Launching the PAL Adventure Club, offering year-round, no-cost activities such as laser tag, sporting events, paddle boarding, rock climbing, and bowling, giving youth access to new experiences and opportunities for growth