Granite eyes police options

West Valley City says Granite School District ought to dump its police force.

Either that or give the police enough money to do their jobs right, adds Salt Lake County Sheriff Aaron Kennard.

But the Granite Board of Education still questions whether local agencies could protect schools as well as their own officers do.

The board made no decisions after taking the sometimes heated comments from local officials Tuesday night. But members have a list of options, including creating a hybrid Granite police/private security force, to examine between now and the late May board meeting.

Granite Police Capt. Robert Lavin believes the board understands where their police stand.

"We came about for a reason . . . the school district didn't feel like it was being served properly," he said in an interview. "We feel like we are cost-effective. . . . I don't think anyone can touch us (on level of service)."

The Granite Police Department, whose security presence goes back 35 years, is a full-fledged police department, complete with around-the-clock dispatchers and patrols. But it says it focuses on school issues, setting it apart from local police agencies.

It's the only district police force in the state and costs about $1.4 million a year. The district also contracts with several local law enforcement agencies to place 17 officers in its schools.

School board members say they like their officers' quick response times and focus on children's safety.

But recent controversy has raised a question: Should the officers stay, and if so, within what perimeters?

In January, a 25-year veteran officer was charged with aggravated assault in the shooting of a burglary suspect following a high-speed chase in Salt Lake City, which is outside district boundaries. Also in January, the department was the subject of a Deseret Morning News investigative report.

A bill subsequently emerged, threatening to abolish school district police forces. The legislation, however, was reduced to an interim study, which will touch on whether district police jobs should extend outside of schools.

A district survey found school administrators want to sustain the department, 65-2 (half the administrators responded), assistant to the superintendent on policy and law Martin Bates has reported.