Granite may reduce its police force's turf

Granite School District police might have to leave non-school crimes and high-speed pursuits to county and city officers under a proposed policy the school board is mulling.

The proposal comes weeks after the Granite Board of Education voted to keep its unique police department following legislative inquiries and aggravated assault charges brought against one of its veterans in an officer-involved shooting outside district boundaries.

Under the proposal, Granite police could exercise authority on district property, off-campus while investigating a student or personnel safety matter, or in pursuing suspects of crimes committed at or near district facilities. They also could transport suspects to detention facilities.

Also, if chasing a suspect includes speeding, Granite police would have to turn the pursuit over to county or city officers. An exception would be if the officer believes giving chase is necessary to protect a child or district staff member from imminent harm, such as if a vehicle is believed to contain a kidnapped student.

In other cases, Granite police would have to report off-campus criminal activity to other agencies for follow-up.

The school board Tuesday night discussed the policy but took no action. It debated whether to allow only officers living in Granite District boundaries to take their cars home. And it advised against re-signing a mutual aid agreement between Granite and other law enforcement agencies to prevent Granite police from acting outside proposed authority boundaries, board President Patricia Sandstrom said.

"We didn't want them to be caught up in situations as has been the problem in the past," she said. "It's the responsibility of the municipalities for (public) safety." Sandstrom said police department leaders have discussed the proposal with Superintendent Steve Ronnenkamp.

Granite Police Chief Jerry Nielsen did not return phone messages seeking comment Wednesday. Granite is the only Utah school district with its own full-fledged police force, which focuses on school issues and costs about $1.8 million a year.

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