IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 616 

Expressing the sense of Congress honoring the life and mourning the loss 

of Lieutenant Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 4, 2019 

Mrs. FLETCHER (for herself, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. BRADY, Mr. GREEN of 

Texas, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. 

OLSON, Mr. CLOUD, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. BABIN, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. 

COX of California, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. STEVENS, and Mr. 

GARAMENDI) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress honoring the life and 

mourning the loss of Lieutenant Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal 

of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. 

Whereas, on Friday, September 27, 2019, in Houston, Texas, 

Lieutenant Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal of the Harris County 

Sheriff’s Office was killed by gunfire while serving in the 

line of duty; 

Whereas the senseless slaying of Lieutenant Dhaliwal represents a reminder that the risks assumed by police officers daily in serving and protecting their communities 

continue to be ever present; 


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•HRES 616 IH 

Whereas Lieutenant Dhaliwal was the first observant Sikh to 

serve in the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and was one 

of the first observant Sikhs in Texas to receive a policy 

accommodation to practice his religion while serving as a 

police officer; 

Whereas Sikhs have struggled to win religious accommodations in the United States in private employment, the 

armed services, and in most law enforcement agencies nationwide, and often continue to remain segregated from 

public view in their employment; 

Whereas out of more than 15,000 law enforcement agencies 

in the United States, about 25 law enforcement agencies 

have permitted accommodation for Sikhs to wear their 

religious articles of faith, including the Harris County 

Sheriff’s Office, the New York City Police, the Chicago 

Police, the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police, U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection, and the United States 

Secret Service, among others; 

Whereas Lieutenant Dhaliwal served admirably while maintaining his Sikh articles of faith, including his turban 

(dastaar), steel bracelet (kara), and unshorn hair (kesh) 

without impediment, which have deep spiritual and moral 

significance; 

Whereas, as Lieutenant Dhaliwal improved law enforcement’s 

cultural understanding of Sikhs by helping to dispel 

stereotypes about what Americans look like, he served 

with distinction as an example of the tireless contributions that religious minorities and marginalized communities make to our country; 

Whereas Lieutenant Dhaliwal was widely regarded as a role 

model for Americans of all faiths wishing to serve their 


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•HRES 616 IH 

communities in law enforcement and the armed services, 

and his loss is felt deeply; 

Whereas Lieutenant Dhaliwal owned a successful trucking 

business before he sold it to join the Sheriff’s Office out 

of a sense of duty and desire to build a bridge between 

the department and the Houston area Sikh community; 

Whereas Lieutenant Dhaliwal was known to have a giving 

heart, coordinating relief efforts for the community after 

Hurricane Harvey, and traveling to Puerto Rico to provide aid to a colleague’s relatives after Hurricane Maria; 

Whereas Lieutenant Dhaliwal is survived by his wife and 

three children; and 

Whereas in the face of this tragic loss, the people of Houston 

have come together and dedicated themselves to honoring 

the bravery, dedication to his community, and trailblazing 

work for Sikh Americans that Lieutenant Dhaliwal exemplified: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives extends 

2 its condolences to the family and loved ones of Lieutenant 

3 Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, and the entire Harris County 

4 Sheriff’s Office, and stands in solidarity with the people 

5 of Houston, Harris County, and the Sikh community 

6 across America, as they celebrate the life, and mourn the 

7 loss, of this remarkable and selfless hero who represented 

8 the very best of our Nation’s ideals. 

Æ 


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