The Los Angeles Police Department's Explorers youth program will end its nearly 50-year relationship with the Boys Scouts of America, pledging not to tolerate discrimination.

As of New Year's Day, LAPD Deputy Chief Earl Paysinger said the department will run the youth program under a different name independent of the Boy Scouts, with the program being funded in part through donations.

The Boy Scouts started the Explorers program in 1949 as a career-oriented program for boys.

The LAPD began participating in 1962. Since 1998, the LAPD has been running the Explorers program while Learning for Life - an organization created by the Boy Scouts - provided insurance coverage to participants.

But the Police Commission voted last month to sever ties with Learning for Life, saying the Boys Scouts' policy of barring gays, atheists and agnostics from being troop leaders violates the city's non-discrimination policies.

"It's bittersweet in the sense that the Boy Scouts or Learning for Life have been part of this for a long time - in name only - but the LAPD is committed to a better program and we can do that without having discrimination," said Police Commissioner Alan Skobin.

Commissioner Robert Saltzman, who is openly gay, said that because he cannot support the Boy Scouts, he has invested a lot of time to ensure the new youth program is "as good or - I'm confident - better than the program it replaces."

"The Boy Scouts are clear that they discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity and religion, and the result of that is I could not be active on the Boy Scouts," Saltzman said.

LAPD's Explorer program provides training to youths ages 14 to 20 who are interested in law enforcement careers. About 1,000 Explorers are assigned to the 20 police stations around the city.

Wearing special uniforms, they help officers with searches for evidence and provide crowd control at special events. They also provide tours of police stations, assist with clerical work and participate in educational camping trips.

The Boy Scouts' policy of banning gays from being troop leaders faced legal challenges in the 1990s. However, the Supreme Court ruled the Boy Scouts had the right to decide who can join its ranks.

The Boy Scouts had argued that accepting gays would violate its constitutional right to freedom of association and free speech.