Utah County Police Step In to Assist Santaquin PD After Officer’s Death
SANTAQUIN – Following the death of Sgt. Bill Hooser on Sunday, a number of police departments in Utah County are attempting to staff the Santaquin Police Department and fill in for him.
To provide the Santaquin police the much-needed vacation time, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said it has set up a Google page where other agencies can sign in and cover any shifts that are needed.
According to Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith, who spoke with KSL TV, the majority of the department’s shifts are covered until Wednesday. Santaquin has two civilian staff workers and fifteen full-time officers.
About Hooser’s passing, Smith remarked, “It’s hit us hard.”
It’s just one way the law enforcement community in Utah County collaborates, according to several law enforcement officials.
There is only one large jurisdiction in Utah County. That’s the perspective we have,” said Brian Gwilliam, chief of police at Lone Peak. “Everyone in the large family is a brother and sister.”
According to Smith, cooperation is an example of how the agencies operate together daily rather than just “lip service.”
“We operate as a team every day,” Smith remarked. We emphasize that. The chiefs and I have in-person meetings once a month in addition to a weekly gathering.
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Cooperation can save lives. He claims that the cooperation can save lives.
“Criminals don’t give a damn which city lines they cross. They travel from one city to another, you know. Therefore, to ensure that we’re offering the proper service, we need to collaborate,” Smith added.
On Monday, Hooser and his family received assistance from officers from several localities, including Lone Peak, Spanish Fork, Payson, Provo, the Sheriff’s Office, and even Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University. Hooser’s casket was transported back to Santaquin from Taylorsville by the comrade who was on display as a processional.
It was a hectic day on Sunday; a lot of things happened quickly, and a lot of information needed to be gathered and disseminated. Col. Michael Rapich of the Utah Highway Patrol stated that “many resources need to collaborate in order to be able to identify this dangerous individual who had done something really, really horrible and making sure he didn’t get the opportunity to do that again.”
In addition to preventing a suspect from harming further people, that law enforcement family and those bonds will now support a bereaved family.
“Our goal will be to empathize with their suffering, embrace them as a single community, and express our love for them,” Gwilliam declared.