Summit County schools will see surge in armed officers due to new legislation

PARK CITY, Utah — Summit County will more than double the number of sworn deputies in local schools next academic year, expanding its School Resource Officer division from four to nine deputies and adding a supervising sergeant and a school safety chief.

The 125 percent increase answers House Bill 84, which requires every public and charter campus to maintain an armed security presence. The law lets districts choose sworn officers, civilian security guards or “civilian guardians” drawn from staff or volunteers.

“Sheriff Justin Smith and his command staff have always been big believers that every school needs a police officer,” Sgt. Skylar Talbot, public information officer for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, said. “We felt civilian guardians just weren’t the option, and the districts and County Council agreed we should set the standard higher.”

Talbot said the Sheriff’s Office and the Park City, North Summit and South Summit school districts will split the cost of five additional full-time deputies along with training and vehicles. “Everyone came to the table and reached a cost-sharing agreement,” he said. “It’s a very big investment, but no one wanted to cut corners on school safety.”

All deputies will complete state-mandated courses in de-escalation, mental health, autism awareness and implicit bias, then earn Level 1 certification from the National Association of School Resource Officers. “In addition to their regular police certification, they’ll hold the national school-resource-officer certificate,” Talbot said.

While the deputies retain full law-enforcement authority, their day-to-day role will emphasize mentorship and prevention. “You’ll see them playing basketball with kids and having lunch in the cafeteria,” Talbot said. “We want deputies to be positive role models.”

Lt. Todd Davis, the county’s newly appointed school safety chief, will oversee the 11-member division—nine deputies, one sergeant and himself—and coordinate with the state’s new school-security chief. Formal performance metrics are still being developed, but Talbot said “the absence of issues” on campus will be the immediate benchmark.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified internal candidates and is back-filling their current positions. Hiring and training are expected to finish in time for the first day of the 2025-26 school year. “The plan is to have everyone in place by next fall,” Talbot said.