Scores of new air marshals were hired to ride on increased flights. Aircraft cockpits are now secured, and no unauthorized people are allowed to enter during a flight.

But passengers still often do stupid things. Records obtained by the Morning News last year showed that from 2002 to early 2005, passengers at U.S. airports surrendered an average of 14,000 potential weapons every day — or about 16 million total. That is enough to arm every passenger on 33 filled-to-capacity Boeing 747 jumbo jets — every day.

It found that about 12 potential weapons were surrendered for every 1,000 passengers.

Salt Lake City International Airport reported 189,210 potential weapons collected over three years. That was 7.4 per 1,000 originating passengers for that time.

Earl Morris, the TSA's federal security director for airports in Utah, has said screeners there find 15 percent to 20 percent more items than are confiscated. That is because passengers are sometimes allowed to return items to cars or to mail them back to themselves.

Costs and benefits

All those steps plus scores of others that have been taken come, of course, with a cost. Utahns may be safer but may pay higher taxes or receive fewer services because of it.

One example is seen in the state's national parks and monuments.

A 2004 study by the Morning News found that base budgets had been cut then at three of four National Park Service units nationally (and at 10 of the 13 within Utah). The few parks nationally that received significant increases were national icon parks viewed as potential terrorist threats.

So extra money was spent to beef up security against terrorists at such icon park units as the Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall, Mount Rushmore and memorials in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, Utah parks reported slicing staff, reducing visitors center hours, reducing law enforcement patrols and even cutting back on garbage collection.

But officials say increased security is not an option.

"We cannot let down our guard," Larsen said. "Terrorists are determined, they learn from their errors, and they are willing to adapt and take advantage of the easiest way to make the biggest splash — even in out-of-the-way places."

Kuehn said, "I feel pretty good about where we are at and think Utahns are maybe as safe as they have ever been" from terrorism.

But, he adds, "There's always room for improvement. It's never done." He also said, "I don't see an end to this (terrorism threat) anytime soon. So we need to do the best we can to prepare and to face it."

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E-mail: lee@desnews.com