Two new names added to the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial

SALT LAKE CITY — Every May, families gather outside of the Utah Capitol to honor Utah’s 149 law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty.

On Thursday, two more officers’ names were added to the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial wall.

The first was Utah County Deputy James Hand, who died on Oct. 8, 1931, after his motorcycle collided with a hay rack while on his way to the Utah County Jail.

“It is an honor for me to stand here today, almost 100 years, 93 years later, and honor him for his service,” said Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith.

The second officer honored was Provo police officer Trenton Halladay, who died on July 22, 2006, after a short battle with cancer that developed as a result of investigating toxic meth labs.

“Trent was a tenacious investigator. He had an unreal memory,” said Draper City Police Chief Rich Ferguson, who was chief of the Provo City Police Department when Halladay was active.

Ferguson said that Halladay was a fourth-generation law enforcement officer in Provo. He said Halladay was remembered for his dedication to the job, smile and infectious laugh.

“I can still hear his laugh today,” Ferguson said of Halladay.

Lisa Halladay said her husband changed many lives as a police officer, and if given the opportunity to serve again, he would.

“Everyone loved him. He was just amazing,” Lisa Halladay said. “That’s just who he was and he would do it again, I know he would.”

For 18 years, Lisa Halladay has waited to see her husband’s sacrifice honored on the memorial wall. Now that it’s there, she said it brings her comfort to know he will always be remembered.

In 2022, Trenton Hallady’s death was nationally recognized as a line-of-duty death. A local board looked at their criteria and decided Hallady’s name needed to be on the wall.

The board president told KSL TV he expects several more officers who died due to medical issues associated with the job to be added to the memorial wall.