LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Joseph Bellino’s legislation to honor the life and service of Hillsdale County Deputy Sheriff William Butler Jr., who was killed in the line of duty in 2024, has been signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“I want to thank the governor for signing this legislation to pay tribute to the life and service of Deputy Butler, who was an Iraq War veteran, a devoted husband, a loving father and a well-respected law enforcement officer,” said Bellino, R-Monroe. “Deputy Butler served and protected the people of Hillsdale County for a dozen years, and this new memorial will help ensure his life, service and sacrifice are never forgotten.”
Senate Bill 70, now Public Act 10 of 2025, designates a portion of Highway M-34 in Hillsdale County from Pioneer Road to South Pittsford Road as the “Deputy Sheriff William Butler Jr. Memorial Highway.”
Butler was killed on duty at age 51 after being fatally shot while bravely assisting another officer during a traffic stop in 2024. He was the first Hillsdale County sheriff’s deputy to be killed on duty since 1930.
The new law will have no fiscal impact on state or local government. State law requires sufficient private contributions to completely cover the cost of erecting and maintaining markers indicating the name of a memorial highway.
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