Written by: Robin Hattersley
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Salt Lake City School District officials will not be paying for the staff required for campuses to operate their weapons detectors in the 2024-2025 school year.
Although the district paid more than $2 million last year to install the equipment, officials decided to not provide the funds needed for security personnel to operate the detectors, reports the Salt Lake Tribune.
One reason for the lack of funding was the state’s rejection of the district’s $4.5 million grant proposal. In 2023, Utah passed a $72 million school safety initiative, and Salt Lake City Schools’ proposal would have tapped into that fund to pay for 29 security officers to run the weapons detectors at West, East, and Highland high schools for three years.
However, the grant request was denied because “firearms detection software” wasn’t an allowable expense under the law and the district’s application was for “supplanting funds.”
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Salt Lake City School District officials will not be paying for the staff required for campuses to operate their weapons detectors in the 2024-2025 school year.
Although the district paid more than $2 million last year to install the equipment, officials decided to not provide the funds needed for security personnel to operate the detectors, reports the Salt Lake Tribune.
One reason for the lack of funding was the state’s rejection of the district’s $4.5 million grant proposal. In 2023, Utah passed a $72 million school safety initiative, and Salt Lake City Schools’ proposal would have tapped into that fund to pay for 29 security officers to run the weapons detectors at West, East, and Highland high schools for three years.
However, the grant request was denied because “firearms detection software” wasn’t an allowable expense under the law and the district’s application was for “supplanting funds.”
However, Alan Kearsley told the Salt Lake Tribune that he believes the denial of funds was an error.
According to district spokesperson Yándary Chatwin, the district wasn’t depending on the state grant for the officers but didn’t want to spend the district’s own money ($1.5 million) for the equipment operators.
The decision by the board to not fund the officers came after the installed weapons detectors received mixed reviews from teachers and students. One board member called the equipment “security theater.”
Weapons Detectors Require Appropriate Staffing
Lack of personnel to operate weapons detection systems is the biggest challenge facing schools wanting to reduce the number of guns, knives, and other weapons on campus, according to this year’s Campus Safety Weapons, Metal, and Gunshot Detection Deep Dive. Nearly one in three survey participants said they frequently or constantly don’t have enough personnel to run their equipment effectively.
In addition to having officers run weapons detection technology, it’s advisable to deploy an armed officer at a check point. Officers and/or campus staff members should also frequently check areas outside of the screening area (such as bushes), where weapons can be hidden.
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