UTAH COUNTY — Officers from various agencies are stepping up and filling in at the Santaquin Police Department to support them after the killing of Sgt. Billy Hooser.
The amount of support given to law enforcement and Sgt. Hooser's family has been outstanding.
Branded Barbers in Nephi is one of many small businesses pitching in their services.
When you sit down in the barber chair and get ready for a shave or haircut, you can tell by the decor and the American flags what the shop stands for.
"We love America. We love our country, our freedoms. We support all law enforcement, all of our veterans," said barber Shawny Allred.
"These families, they send their husbands and wives out every day not knowing if they're going to come home," she said.
All week, Branded Barbers is offering free haircuts to law enforcement and raising money for Sgt. Hooser's family.
The Fellas Barber Shops in Payson, Spanish Fork, and Springville are also doing the same, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
"It's only been just a day and already the impact has been huge for this family," said Allred.
Branded Barbers will be one of thirty vendors at UTV Invasion at Sand Mountain at the Little Sahara Sand Dunes this weekend.
"As you can see right now it's pretty empty," described event owner and organizer Trevor Blackburn. "By the time Saturday rolls around, you won't be able to fit another camper in here."
Blackburn said that last year, twenty-thousand people came out for the off-roading event.
This year won't be the same knowing they lost one of their own.
"The Hooser family, they're off-road enthusiasts. They've been coming out here for years," said Kent Miller with off-road custom clothing company Jericho Specialties.
"That's one of those things that happens unfortunately, but it's not someone you're usually familiar or associated with. It was devastating," he said.
Miller and Blackburn purchased hundreds of 3'x 5' thin blue line flags.
"We want to flood this place with blue line flags and show our support for the Hooser family," said Miller.
They plan for it to be an incredible sight. They'll also be raising money for the Hooser family through giveaways and a raffle.
"The off-road community is a pretty tight-knit family. Whether we know each other personally or not, we're a pretty tight-knit family and if we could do something to help, we're going to," said Blackburn.
