Fallen Utah police officer remembered as ‘girl dad,’ grandpa and ‘best field training officer’

Orem • Courtney Hooser spoke to a sea of dark blues, forest greens and subtle tans at her father’s funeral Monday.

She told the audience of police officers, sheriff’s deputies and rangers at Utah Valley University’s UCCU Center of her heartbreak of losing her father, Santaquin police Sgt. Bill Hooser, just months before her September wedding.

“I am completely broken,” she said, voice wavering and fighting back tears. “My dad no longer gets to walk me down the aisle or share the daddy-daughter dance with me for my wedding. I don’t understand why this happened nor will I ever stop mourning the loss of my father. I know my dad’s work on Earth is done. I know he died doing what he loved to do: helping people.”

Hooser had worked in Santaquin since 2017 after first entering law enforcement in San Juan County, New Mexico, in 2012. He died when a man in a semitruck drove into him during a traffic stop on an Interstate 15 ramp on May 5.

At Monday’s funeral, the 50-year-old Hooser was remembered as a father who loved being a “girl dad,” a doting grandfather and a talented, training-focused police officer.

Both of his daughters offered eulogies, lamenting that he would miss many life milestones from here on out. Eldest daughter Shaylee Terry shared how he loved his daughters and wife, Kinda Hooser.

“My dad loved being a girl dad,” she said. “He attended every dance recital, went to help pick out dresses for school dances, attended every cheerleading function. He even learned the cheers to help with crowd involvement and attended every gymnastics practice.”

Terry, whose husband, Jake Terry, is also a police officer, recounted her father’s many hobbies. A former framer, he was always ready to help with a building or furniture project “with his tool belt on.” Hooser enjoyed camping, side-by-side off-road vehicles and bragging about an eagle he once scored during a round of golf one Father’s Day.

Terry also joked that Hooser loved his new granddaughter, Paxton, more than he loved her, saying he held her any chance he could get.

Law enforcement speakers lauded Hooser’s legacy at the Santaquin Police Department in training, planning and investigative roles. Santaquin Police Chief Rod Hurst remembered Hooser as a teacher of new hires.

“Sgt. Hooser was the best field training officer I’ve ever seen,” Hurst said. “He is personally responsible for revamping the entire training program. If I knew a trainee was passed off by Sgt. Hooser, they would be good to go.”

Hooser had many roles during his time in Santaquin. Besides training, he also worked on investigations. Hurst recalled his attention to detail and communication skills in that job.

He also collaborated with city officials to plan public events in town and ensure safety at gatherings. Police Lt. Mike Wall said Hooser didn’t always see eye to eye with other city employees while planning for big events but that the department trusted him to ensure everybody was safe.

Hooser’s funeral drew law enforcement officials from across the Beehive State. Representatives from police departments, county sheriff’s offices and federal and state agencies attended. The state’s top cop, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, sat with Gov. Spencer Cox and Santaquin officers. Some officers came from out of state, like Idaho’s Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

In his speech, Cox praised the actions of other officers in the pursuit of the man suspected of killing Hooser. He also commended Utah officers more broadly.

“There are heroes all amongst us every day doing this kind of work,” he said. “This thin blue line is real. It is the line between order and chaos. It is the line between good and evil. And every day those of you who wear the badge step into that breach, step into that line.”

The man suspected of killing Hooser was booked into the Utah County jail to be held without bail. He has not yet been charged. (The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not identify defendants unless they have been formally charged.)

Court records show he was convicted of assault in 2009 after he nearly killed an Oregon officer with a vehicle.

After running into Hooser, according to law enforcement, the driver led police on a chase across the state, stealing three vehicles, before being taken into custody in Vernal after crashing a stolen Ford F-150.

During the fatal traffic stop, police say, Hooser and a Utah trooper on the scene planned to detain the driver after speaking with a woman who jumped from the sleeper cab of the semi and told officers that the man had held her against her will. It was then, authorities say, that the suspect restarted the truck, made a U-turn and accelerated back toward Hooser.

Each speaker called Hooser a hero.

“It saddens me to know, no matter how hard I look or how far I look, I’ll never be able to replace Sgt. Hooser,” Wall, the Santaquin lieutenant, said. “He truly was irreplaceable. A peacekeeper, a friend, and he really was a one-of-a-kind guy.”