Who’s Behind the Vacaville Billboard Honoring Fallen Officer Matthew Bowen?

When driving east on I-80, just past Leisure Town Road, you can’t help but be drawn to a unique, full-size freeway billboard unlike any you’ve seen before. It’s honoring fallen Officer Matthew Bowen who was struck and killed by a motorist on July 11th, 2024.

The billboard has no corporate logo, call to action, or other indication of commercial intent. Nothing explains who is responsible for paying for the billboard advertisement, which can run between $5,000 – $10,000 a month in the area.

Yet, there it is – less than a mile from where Officer Bowen was struck down.

I was immensely curious about who was responsible for the sign. Was it a charity? The police union? The billboard owner? Or was there a wealthy benefactor in town who felt compelled to erect this monument to the fallen officer?

So… I contacted the billboard owner, Orion Outdoor Media, and asked about the billboard’s backstory. To my surprise, they gave me the name of the customer responsible for the ad.

The company picking up the tab for the billboard in Officer Bowen’s honor is KUIU. That’s right, the nationally renowned outdoor apparel company based out of Dixon put up the billboard. They didn’t put their logo on it. They didn’t advertise doing it. They just did it.

It’s heartwarming to see a nationwide company based right here in Solano County do something so “un-corporate.” I’ve been in law enforcement for almost 17 years and I’ve seen too many officers around the state killed in the line of duty. I’ve never seen this though.

KUIU didn’t ask me to write this article. In fact, they might not have even wanted me to. But since it’s out there – I’d like to thank KUIU for doing such an amazing thing to show support for their home county.

Very cool.