Utah Transit Authority safety officers will now carry guns while on duty.
The Utah Transit Board of Trustees decided to arm its officers Wednesday. The move is a common practice among other metropolitan transit systems across the country.
"We want to continue to ensure the safety of both our passengers and UTA employees on the system," said Jeff hawker, UTA board president. "We have had a few incidents out in our system, and the board wants to do everything possible to ensure our system remains safe for everyone at all times."
UTA's safety officers, who began providing security services to UTA in 1998, are sworn and certified Utah peace officers who perform security functions throughout UTA's system. It has 22 transit officers, 18 of whom have already received the state-certified training necessary to carry arms. The other four will complete the training by September.