NASHUA – The Nashua Police Athletic Association will have a new hand at the helm starting Monday, when Officer Michael DeBisz will take over as PAL officer and Officer Philip Belmont will return to the city streets.

Belmont, who has held the PAL officer position for more than two years, said that he will miss the kids of the program and the huge impact he has been able to make.

"It gives you a different perspective, this position," he said. "A different perspective about the role police officers have and the importance they have in the community."

Belmont said the program allows city officers to have a different avenue for finding solutions to community problems. He said that policing by enforcement and arrest isn’t always the answer and that PAL has offered the police department and the community a third option.

"When you are working with the community, it’s really a case of ‘by, with and through,’?" he quoted from his training in the U.S. Army. "That is the only way that you are going to make progress and that’s the way we have made progress. I know Mike will continue to do that."

As the newest PAL officer, DeBisz has large shoes to fill. The role of the PAL officer is more than just a police liaison for the community organization; the position is that of mentor to the program youth. DeBisz, a Medford, Mass., native and current member of the Army Reserve, said that he is looking forward to the challenge.

"Not only do I like working with people, but PAL gives us the flexibility to get out here and manage these relationships," he said. "There is so much that program can do for these kids and these families."

DeBisz has been with the Nashua Police Department for five years and has been in law enforcement for eight years. He said his first step in the new position will be getting to know the people he is there to serve.

"Initially, I want to get my name and my face out there," he said. "I just want to get out there on the street and on these bike trails, and I need to let people know that I’m the guy to come to and what I and this program have to offer."

DeBisz wanted everyone to know that the open attitude that Belmont brought to the position will continue now that he has taken over.

"I’m here for you," he said. "This door is open, Monday through Friday. Come in and talk to me. I just want to work on building the public’s trust so that we can serve them."

Nashua PAL, founded in 1989, was created to foster a positive attitude between members of the Nashua PD and children of the community. The agency offers 16 different programs for area kids to participate in and is entirely, with the exception of the PAL officer’s salary, funded through community donations and fundraising.

The next Nashua PAL fundraising event will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, when the Police and Fire departments will square off at Holman Stadium for a softball game held to benefit the programs of PAL. For more information about the game or to get tickets, call 594-3733. Tickets are $5.

For more information about Nashua PAL and its many programs visit www.nashuapal.com.

Matthew Medsger can be reached at 594-6531, mmedsger@nashuatelegraph.com or @Telegraph_MattM.