- Santaquin City Council designated May as Sgt. Bill Hooser Memorial Month.
- Plans include flags on Main Street, community activities, among other events honoring Hooser.
- A bill to rename a highway after him fell short of votes recently.
SANTAQUIN — Nearly two years have passed since Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser was killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop on I-15.
For Kinda Hooser, wife of the late police sergeant, there isn't a day that goes by where she doesn't think of him.
"Grief has changed over the past two years, but it has not lessened; we've simply learned how to carry it alongside our daily lives," she told KSL in a statement on Tuesday.
On the morning of May 5, 2024, Hooser was assisting a Utah Highway Patrol trooper with a traffic stop involving a semitruck. Police said Hooser was killed when Michael Jayne, the semi driver, intentionally hit and killed Hooser before fleeing the scene.
The loss of Hooser continues to be deeply felt throughout the city of Santaquin and beyond. As the anniversary of that May morning approaches, Hooser's family as well as elected officials want to make sure his memory lives on.
Earlier this month, the Santaquin City Council voted unanimously in favor of designating each May as "Bill Hooser Memorial Month."
Exact details about the monthlong recognition were still being finalized, but Santaquin Mayor Dan Olson said tentative plans include more than 60 flags to be placed along Santaquin's Main Street, as well as various communitywide activities, including an organized service day, and a new memorabilia display that will be unveiled inside City Hall next month.
"I am truly honored and grateful that the City Council has chosen to dedicate the month of May to recognizing my husband's life, service, and legacy," Kinda Hooser said.
Olson said the city is proud to work in conjunction with Hooser's family to honor his service and sacrifice.
"Losing Sgt. Hooser two years ago is still a soft part in all of our hearts," he said in an emailed statement. "Bill was a great man, a great husband. a great father and a great officer."
The council's passage of the measure during its April 7 meeting is among other efforts to remember the fallen officer.
In December 2024, a bill in Congress introduced by U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens was passed into law naming the post office in Santaquin after Hooser.
A bill was also introduced in January during the Utah legislative session to rename state Route 198 — connecting Main Street in Payson and Main Street in Santaquin — as Sgt. Billy D. Hooser Memorial Highway.
However, in the final days of the session last month, the proposed road renaming fell short of the needed votes to advance.
In the meantime, leaders in Santaquin say they look forward to making Sgt. Bill Hooser Memorial Month a cherished occasion for years to come.
"We are excited to make this a part of the city," Olson said.
Kinda Hooser, who's been involved in preparation for the effort, said the recognition signals a reminder that her husband's impact spans far beyond their home and that his service still lives on in the community for which he cared so much.
"Serving and protecting others was more than his job; it was who he was, and it means so much to see that remembered in such a meaningful way," she said. "Our family is doing our best to move forward, leaning on each other and finding strength in the love and memories he left us."
