The West Valley City Council approved a resolution in October that will assign two sworn officers to work full time at Granger High School. 

It will be the first time in 12 years since the West Valley City Police Department had a presence in city schools. Granite School District is the only district in the state with a police department.

The school district will pay $45,000 per officer while the agreement is for five years, with the option for West Valley City to back out after the first year. West Valley’s pay scale for its officers differs based on experience up to 10 steps, but according to the city budget, officers on the day shift for the first step make almost $70,000 a year. 

West Valley City Police Chief Colleen Jacobs told the council in a September study meeting West Valley was the only jurisdiction that did not have a police officer in the schools. It was more common for the school district to share responsibilities with local departments. 

When councilmembers suggested a potential strain on resources, Jacobs said the benefits will counterbalance the cost. 

“We believe the youth engagement, interaction and intelligence as part of this agreement will offset the cost that we’re not being reimbursed for the officers,” she said. 

Coverage of extracurricular activities at the school will be paid as overtime through the district. During the summer, the two officers will assume regular detective schedules, Jacobs said. 

Hunter High will have two dedicated GSD police officers.