GRANITE school district police officers have long patrolled the halls of Granger to help keep Lancers safe. These officers are specifically hired by the district and only work within its operations. However, Granger has recently shifted from the GSD Police Department to the West Valley City Police Department. While this change doesn’t affect much of the school’s operations, many students still wonder why it was made in the first place.

Two officers regularly patrol the building, Detective Glackin and Detective Maxfield — one of them must always be in the building. Maxfield says they have been enjoying their time at Granger so far. “It’s been awesome getting to know the kids. It changes how we must interact with people in our jobs,” he said.

The officers say they must be much more conscious of their interactions with the kids. “We must act more rationally. We keep in mind that they are teenagers and might act on impulse more than adults,” Glackin said.

On top of their work at Greanger, they have caseloads of West Valley City police work to manage.

Mr. Adams, a vice principal, is highly supportive of the change. He says the school and the city agreed to change the police presence around the school. “This is how it used to be, so really we’re just going back to how it was,” Adams said.

The agreement has deepened the relationship between the city and the school, as well as the community here. “It’s been awesome working with them. They’re pros. They know the city and have a good relationship with the community. The two officers we have here are top-notch,” Adams said.

Dr. Howe, former Granger principal and now assistant superintendent, says that the Granite School District is unique. It’s one of the only districts in the state with its own police force, and it’s one of the biggest. However, despite its size, it isn’t large enough to help support every school. So, the district tries to work with the cities, as it has with West Valley City. The city police department shares the school’s interest in safety, and given its jurisdiction far beyond Granger’s campus, there is significant benefit in working with them.

This will help bring students closer to their local police department, and vice versa. It helps expand their roots in our community and, overall, improve how the police interact with the community, while keeping them safe.

Detective Glackin and Detective Maxwell have enjoyed their time so far and have been doing a great job keeping Lancers safe, so hopefully they are here to stay.