Police Report 37 Arrests in One Weekend on High-School Campus

Police in Draper, Utah, reported making 37 arrests this past weekend on the campus of Corner Canyon High School.

Police said most of the arrests were on trespassing charges, and that they included students from other nearby high schools like Park City, Riverton, Cottonwood Heights, and Salt Lake. The school has become a popular gathering place on weekends. In the past, police say they’ve seen everything from reckless driving to arson to discharge of an explosive device.

“We’ve had some fires set over there. About a month ago we had an explosive device, a small device, that was set off in the parking lot,” said Draper Police Lt. Pat Evans.

Neighborhood residents who live near the school report recurring incidents. “Tires burning out, racing,” said Bryan Brotherson, who lives nearby. “Someone’s going to get hurt, is what it boils down to, and I think there’s already been some people that have gotten hurt.”

Similarly, resident Clifford Dean said that the weekend gatherings sometimes spill out into the street. “You worry that somebody’s going to be run over on the sidewalk, or possibly walking in the parking lot,” he said.

In response, the school plans to purchase and install gates surrounding all campus entrances for a price of $25,000, said Jeff Haney with the Canyons School District. He said they’ve previously tried increasing security presence on campus and trimming hours during which the campus is open to students. He also said they’ve tried working with Draper police to get the situation under control.

Evans said police have spent years doing patrols near the area and positioned an unmarked car. “Probably for the last six months we’ve actually paid officers every weekend to be in that parking lot on overtime,” Evans said. The overtime has cost the city about $10,000.

Evans said police would ask students to leave when the grounds close, and they would—only to return. “Those officers would stay busy all night long,” he said. “This is not the first time we’ve made arrests. This was just a zero tolerance, we’ve gotta solve the problem, we’ve gotta send the message home.”

Arrested individuals are sent to peer court, and although they do face consequences for their actions, the punishments aren’t overly severe, said Evans. He said he thinks the gates will help because they’ll restrict access to the students’ go-to spot.

Haney agreed. “That’s something the district had to shoulder the cost about. So this isn’t, you know, a cheap solution by any means. But it’s one that was necessary.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at MJones@1105media.com

Featured

  • Expanding Mobile Access Credentials

    The new academic year is now kicking into high gear at colleges and universities, and on many campuses, students were welcomed this fall with the added convenience and security of mobile access credentials. It is a trend that has become more of an expectation than a surprise in the world of higher education as the demand for advancements in electronic access control (EAC) like mobile credentials continues to grow. Read Now

  • New York School District Selects AtlasIED’s IPX Technology for Modernization Initiative

    The North Syracuse Central School District (NSCSD), a K-12 public school district in Central New York state, serves the communities of North Syracuse, Clay, Cicero, Bridgeport, and Mattydale. With 11 elementary, middle, and high schools, the district covers almost 90 square miles and has 7,792 students and approximately 700 teachers. With some of its school buildings over 60 years old, the district needed to renovate many of them, some more urgently than others. As part of the process, district administrators and staff reevaluated all infrastructure elements and their approach to campus safety, selecting AtlasIED IPX technology to modernize their intercom, audio announcements, and emergency communications systems. Read Now

  • New York Lifts Ban on Biometric Technologies in K-12 Schools

    New York Lifts Ban on Biometric Technologies in K-12 Schools

    On Sept. 27, 2023, New York State Department of Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa issued a determination that lifted the nearly three-year ban on use of biometric technologies in both public and private K-12 schools in effect from December 2020 Read Now

Webinars