Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, United States Postal Office, and Community Members Dedicate Local Post Office in Honor of Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), in partnership with the United States Postal Service, held a ceremony to dedicate the post office at 315 Addicks-Howell Road in Houston, Texas as the Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office. The post office's namesake, the late Harris County Sheriff's Office Deputy Dhaliwal, was a nationally recognized figure for his successful efforts to be afforded a policy accommodation to wear his Sikh articles of faith while in uniform. He was killed during a traffic stop in September 2019.

"I am honored to play a role in commemorating Deputy Dhaliwal's remarkable life of selfless service," said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. "He represented the very best of our community: he worked for equality, connection, and community through his life of service to others. I was glad to work with a bipartisan delegation, our community partners, and those in the Sikh community, to pass legislation to rename this building the Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office."

"This remarkable commemoration serves as a permanent reminder of Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal's lasting contributions to our community," said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. "We are thankful to Congresswoman Fletcher and the entire Texas delegation for honoring a committed public servant who touched countless lives and served as a trailblazer. He was a true hero who inspired everyone to love their neighbors."

"Anyone who came across Dep. Sandeep Dhaliwal was a better person for having known him. I'm thankful visitors to the newly renamed post office will see his name and be encouraged to learn how special he was," said Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who originally hired Deputy Dhaliwal in his capacity as previous Sheriff of Harris County. "Deputy Dhaliwal paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect us, and he will never be forgotten. I am thankful to Representative Fletcher and the United States Postal Service for this important recognition. Sandeep lived his life with the purpose to spread dignity and respect to all he came in contact with, and I am hopeful that the Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office will inspire all who visit to follow in Sandeep's example.

"Since my son was taken from our family in a senseless act of violence, we have received an outpouring of support and love from the greater Houston community," said Pyara Singh Dhaliwal, the late Deputy Dhaliwal's father. "We are so grateful and so honored that Sandeep is being memorialized in this way--forever becoming a part of the city that he served faithfully both in and out of uniform."

"Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal did not set out to be a trailblazer, he simply approached life with a caring heart, a generous spirit, and a warmth that brought people together," said Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) Southwest Regional Director Bobby Singh. "Along with the many friends here today, our community has been forever changed by his death but this building will forever serve as a recognition of his life. He lived the true American--and Houstonian--life."

"Renaming a federal building for Deputy Dhaliwal in his beloved Houston is a deeply meaningful gesture, and we are grateful to Congresswoman Fletcher and the rest of Houston's congressional delegation for their leadership on this effort," said Sim J. Singh Attariwala, Sikh Coalition Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager. "Today, we remember that Deputy Dhaliwal's legacy is not just his service to the city of Houston, but also the example of his life: that diversity and inclusion make all of our communities, and our country, stronger."

In 2015, Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal became the first Sikh American in Texas to receive a policy accommodation to serve while wearing his articles of faith, including his turban and beard. He was the first Sikh police officer to serve in the Harris County Sheriff's Office and was a role model and a trailblazer for Sikh Americans and religious minorities that sought to serve in law enforcement.

On September 27, 2019, Dhaliwal was killed in the line of duty. Following his death, Congresswoman Fletcher led the entire Houston delegation in introducing H. Res. 616, a resolution to honor the life and mourn the loss of Deputy Dhaliwal and spoke on the House floor about his remarkable life and tragic death. In 2020, Congresswoman Fletcher's bill, H.R. 5317, the Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office Act, was passed and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump.

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