We were the first county in Utah to put a full-time deputy in every school. That was 2019. Most people in the valley know that part of the story.
Here’s the part most people don’t know yet.
Presence Was Always Just the Starting Point
Getting a deputy into every school — from Daniels Canyon Elementary to Wasatch High — was never the finish line. It was the foundation. A deputy in the building means faster response, better relationships, and a direct line between students and law enforcement.
But a deputy standing in a hallway doesn’t automatically mean a building is prepared. It doesn’t mean teachers know what to do in the first thirty seconds of an incident. It doesn’t mean the doors that should be locked are locked, or that the protocols in place actually match the layout of the building.
Presence matters. Preparation matters more.
What Our SROs Are Now Doing Differently
Sheriff Rigby’s office has taken the SRO program to the next level by training our resource officers to conduct full safety assessments of every school building in Wasatch County.
That means going room by room, door by door, and identifying the gaps. Which entrances create blind spots. Which protocols need updating. Which parts of the building are most vulnerable and what needs to change to fix that.
Beyond assessments, our SROs are now running active training with teachers and staff — not slideshows, not handouts, but real preparation. They bring staff together, walk them through exactly what to do in the critical first seconds of an emergency, and make the experience as realistic as possible so that if something ever happens, it isn’t the first time anyone has thought about it.
The Part That Stays With You
Here’s something that might surprise you. As part of the training, our SROs fire a weapon inside the school building so that teachers know what it actually sounds like.
Not to frighten anyone. To prepare them.
Because in a real situation, the sound of a gunshot in a school hallway is disorienting. Teachers freeze. Precious seconds are lost. By experiencing that sound in a controlled, prepared environment — and then immediately walking through the response — staff become more capable of acting quickly and calmly when it counts.
That’s the difference between training that looks good on paper and training that actually saves lives.
Why We’re Doing This Now
Wasatch County is growing. Deer Creek High School opens in 2026. More students, more buildings, more staff who need to be prepared. The safety program has to grow with the county — and it has to stay ahead of the threat, not just respond to it.
Sheriff Rigby’s plan is to make sure that every school that opens in this valley opens with a trained SRO already in place, a full safety assessment already completed, and staff who know exactly what to do if the worst happens.
Because our kids deserve more than a deputy in the hallway. They deserve a building full of adults who are ready.
Sheriff Jared Rigby is running for re-election as Wasatch County Sheriff. See his full plan at sheriffjaredrigby.org.
