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The boy, tall, lanky and shy, said he wanted to train and improve his boxing skills but had no one to teach him. Sgt. Smith responded with a wide grin: "You wanna be on my boxing team?"

Sgt. Smith, 45, wants to offer boxing, basketball and other sports to youths as part of a citywide Police Athletics League. Through the program, officers and volunteers would provide free after-school athletic, educational and social programs for kids age 5 to 18.

The league, which could get started in the next few months, would fill a need for youth programs and help reduce juvenile crime, said Sgt. Smith, a 13-year patrol veteran.

"I need for this program to start yesterday," he said.

Since a New York police officer founded the first Police Athletic League in 1914, more than 350 programs have been set up in 45 states. Active programs exist in Fort Worth, Arlington, Carrollton and Irving. Sgt. Smith aims to keep start-up costs low by leaning on volunteers. Instead of paying for facilities and expensive equipment, he plans to rely on public spaces and donations. But Sgt. Smith said he needs at least $10,000 to cover the cost of insurance, uniforms and tournament trophies for his first class of 400 to 500 kids.

"All this money on computers, cars, cages and guns is not going to solve our crime problem," he said. "Putting people in jail won't solve the problem, but changing attitudes can."

Police Chief David Kunkle, who endorses the program, said the program's goal of reducing juvenile crime would be felt "in a micro sense. But if you change tens or hundreds of kids' lives, you have done a good thing." Sgt. Smith already has the support of community leaders with whom he has collaborated in the past, including Jubilee Project chairman Walt Humann and Dallas schools trustee Ron Price. "I am going to be there to roll up my sleeves and labor in the field with him," Mr. Price said. Meanwhile, members of the police force, including former professional athletes and some with cheerleading experience, are ready to get involved, Sgt. Smith said.

Initially, the program would be tailored to youths in West Dallas but would eventually spread to other parts of the city. Sgt. Smith said he hopes to have it up and going before summer is over. PAL programs receive no direct funding from the police but, like other nonprofits, depend on support from individuals, business leaders, corporations and foundations. Some police departments assign one or more officers to the local PAL agency, but mostly officers volunteer their time. Continuing police endorsement, community volunteerism and financial backing determine the success of a local PAL.

Dallas and Houston are the only cities among the nation's 15 largest without a PAL. But it wasn't always that way. The first Dallas PAL, founded in 1961 by attorney Joseph Delany, produced several Golden Gloves boxing champions in the 1960s. In 1972, two Dallas officers, Jim Chadwick and Jack Lewis, were bestowed presidential commendations by President Nixon for their youth athletics efforts. In the early 1990s, officer Rodney Woods grabbed Dallas city youth and gang members with midnight basketball. But then top police officials reprioritized, funding sources ran dry, and volunteer interest faded, said Mr. Woods, who is retired. Houston also had a PAL program, but it was recently discontinued because of manpower shortages and budget constraints, said Gabriel Ortiz, a police spokesman.

Mike Dillhyon, executive director of the National Police Athletic League Association, launched a local PAL in 1991 in St. Augustine, Fla., with 30 kids. Today, the program benefits about 1,500 to 2,000 kids a year and is so well-embraced by the community that "people would probably raise Cain" if they tried to discontinue it, Mr. Dillhyon said.

"There is no cookie-cutter approach," he said. "You need to develop your programs to fit the needs of your community."  Sgt. Smith said the program is the antidote to juvenile crime, and the sooner it can be administered, the more beneficial its effects.

"We have to reach children at an age to help shape their minds to do positive things," he said. "If not, the gang-bangers and the drug dealers are going to reach out and try to reel them in."