City and state officials, family and friends, along with code-enforcement officers from other parts of the nation gathered on July 31 when West Valley honored one of their own. Jill Robinson, who was murdered while in the line of duty in 2018, now has her name on the building where she once worked as a code-enforcement officer for the city.

In August of 2018, she was shot and killed by Kevin Billings, who Robinson was scheduled to meet with him on a follow-up call regarding the condition of his yard. Billings ambushed Robinson, then set both her city truck and a neighbor’s home on fire. The next-door blaze also killed four of the neighbor’s dogs. He was later sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The Jill Robinson Memorial Building is the site of both the code enforcement and animal services division for West Valley City on 3500 South. Mayor Karen Lang and Robinson’s daughter Jessica Knorr spoke at the ceremony, with Knorr saying her mom “was my best friend. I miss her so much.” She was touched by the renaming of the facility to honor her mother.

“Today, as we rename this building, we do more than honor her name. We honor her legacy,” said Tumi Young, now the chief code-enforcement officer who started working for the city on the same day as Robinson. “From this day forward, the Jill Robinson Memorial Building will stand as a testament to the life of Jill Robinson, a person who gave so much to this community.”

A plaque inside includes photos of Robinson along with an inscription that reads “May your bravery be a beacon for us all. Forever in our hearts.”

Along with many working in enforcement, from police to medical emergency personnel, violence against officers has steadily increased over the past 10 years. Assaults against code enforcement officers, or CEOs, are becoming more commonplace, according to Tim Sun, a Southern California CEO and a safety activist. He says the issue is getting little traction from city officials throughout that state. He estimates that only 5% of California cities provide code enforcement officers with protective vests, pepper spray, or emergency communication. In a survey of members of the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers (CACEO) a few years ago, 63% of respondents said they had been threatened or assaulted. 

There is no specific number for Utah, though West Valley enforcement officers now wear bullet proof vests when they go on call. The vests are estimated to cost about $360 apiece.

A plaque at the renamed Jill Robinson Memorial Building honors the code-enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in 2018. (Photo courtesy of West Valley City)