Nielsen actually started at Granite in its paint and glass shop that employed "five full-time glaziers and several part-time glaziers" to repair windows broken by vandals, usually at night. "So I got a firsthand look at the damages and losses we were incurring in the district."

He said police agencies requested the district name someone as a central contact for when vandalism or break-ins occurred. Nielsen, who was a reserve Salt Lake County deputy sheriff, became that contact. "It kept me running day and night," he said.

When the district started centrally tracking vandalism and theft losses, the "astronomical" numbers helped persuade it to start its own security division in 1970. Nielsen was its sole officer for three years patrolling buildings, and the resulting decrease in vandalism and theft led to the hiring of more officers.

In 1985, the Legislature passed a law enabling school districts to form full-fledged police departments, which Granite did. The law gave Granite's state-certified officers statewide law-enforcement powers. But Nielsen said the department's focus was still on securing school property at night and on weekends.

He says that began to change in the early 1990s because of increased crime and gang-related activity in schools. "The safety of our students, schools, teachers and parents became our priority."

The department ballooned from seven to 17 officers, with most working during school hours to handle crime and other situations. Nielsen said that occurred because "of demands by teachers and administrators."

"They wanted to go back to being teachers and school administrators. They were tired of being policemen."

The cost

The cost of the extra security at schools is not cheap for Granite. For 2005, the police department's budget is $1.42 million — about 3 percent of the school district's total budget. It comes from the general fund, where it competes against educational programs for money.

In addition, Granite pays the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office $40,320 and West Valley City another $20,744 for "resource officers" they place in high school and junior highs in their jurisdictions, and for law-enforcement classes those officers teach.

In comparison, Jordan School District had been spending about $800,000 a year on its recently disbanded police department, according to Jordan administrator Burke Jolley.

"We're saving about $600,000 of the $800,000 a year by eliminating the police department," Jolley said. "The other $200,000 a year we continue to spend for monitoring of our alarm system by an independent contractor" and related responses and work.