Monday will mark the first anniversary of the death of Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser, 50, who was killed in the line of duty.
“I can’t quite put into words how hard it’s been without him here. I often think about how much he’s missed out on in such a short amount of time,” his wife, Kinda Hooser, said Thursday.
Since her husband’s death, Hooser says the family has missed celebrating Father’s Day with him and he missed his granddaughter turning 1, a family trip to Lake Powell, their 29th wedding anniversary, their youngest daughter getting married and he will miss the arrival of his first grandson later this year.
Hooser talked about memories of her late husband on the west side of the state Capitol grounds, the site of the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial. On Thursday, Billy Dean Hooser’s name was added to the memorial during a ceremony before state leaders and law enforcers from across the state.
“Every single day I wake up praying that I will not get that call that we have to add another name to this wall,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told the gathering while calling Hooser “one of Utah’s greatest heroes.”
“I am so proud of the law enforcement in this state. When you look at trust in organizations, in Utah, we have more trust in law enforcement than anywhere else in the country. That’s not because the people of Utah are different than the other people in the country, it’s because the men and women who put on the uniform to serve and protect us are different. They are the very best,” the governor said.
“This wall means so much more to all of us that are present today as well as those who can’t be with us,” added retired Davis County Sheriff’s Lt. Maureen Benson, the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial vice president. “It represents not only the names on the wall, but the family, friends and co-workers that feel the loss. Each name on this wall is a hero. Each made a promise to serve and protect their communities. They promised that when a call came in for help, they would answer. They promised that when a crisis arose, they would respond. They served and sacrificed for a purpose far greater than themselves.
“There is no truer definition of a hero.”
Santaquin Police Chief Rodney Hurst was asked to speak at Thursday’s ceremony — his third memorial for Hooser at which he’s been asked to speak. He says it doesn’t get any easier.
“For me, it’s like revisiting the successes and the failures all over again,” he said. “Our job is to solve problems or otherwise fix things. Sgt. Bill Hooser’s sacrifice was one of those problems I couldn’t solve or fix. As the house of cards was crashing down on the survivors, there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it. It doesn’t happen very often, but it was one of those moments where the weight of despair was overwhelming, and the more you tried to fix it, the worse it got.”
But the chief also said that faith and grace are all around, no matter how dark things might appear.
“We’re just a few days shy of it being a year. And I can still hear Hooser’s laugh or his heavy footsteps coming down the hall toward my office," he said.
Kinda Hooser recalled always being on the go with her husband, either camping or hosting backyard BBQs or becoming involved in hourslong matches of cornhole with relatives.
“Looking back, I would give everything I have just to experience that type of happiness again,” she said.
She also talked about his contagious laugh and his attitude of always wanting to help others. As for his police work, Hooser talked about how her husband took his duty as the department’s field training officer — responsible for training new recruits — very seriously.
“Bill set the bar high,” she said. “He was relentless about officer safety, tireless about proper report writing, and completely committed to making sure every trainee walked out ready to do the job right and make it home safe.”
His prints can be seen on every officer he trained.
“Though he may be gone, his influence will never fade,” Kinda Hooser said.
After Bill Hooser’s plaque was added to the wall, doves were released, followed by bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace,” a 21-gun salute and “Taps” being played on a trumpet.