Saini is an alum of Deshbandhu College in New Delhi.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: An Indian American veteran of 15 years within the Houston Police Department, Harkeerat Singh Saini, 44, has been awarded the esteemed “Top Civilian Supervisor of the Year” award for his exemplary service to the force.
Saini received the award from Police Chief Charles A. McClelland And Mayor Anise Parker during a function held at the Houston Hyatt Regency Hotel, reported the Press Trust of India.
“Harkeert Singh Saini is a very efficient officer and very worthy of this award. Houston police department is proud of Saini,” Muzaffar Siddiqi, a senior officer with the Houston P.D., told PTI.
Saini, a graduate from Deshbandhu College in New Delhi, originally hails from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, India. He immigrated to the city of Houston in 1998, joined the Houston Police Department in March 2000, and was subsequently promoted to the position of office supervisor within a few short years.
According to PTI, numerous local Indian American leaders attended the award ceremony, including community leaders, including Gurdip Singh Buttar, S. Gurnam Singh Sandhar, and Ajinder Singh Dhatt.
Earlier this year, Texas police reached another milestone in regards to recognizing Indian Americans when a sheriff’s department in Harris County decided to allow Sikh deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal to report for duty while wearing his religion’s traditional dastaar (turban) and beard.
Dhaliwal had been with the Harris County Sheriff’s department for over six years, but had not been permitted to don his dastaar or sport a beard until February. Sikhs, as a matter of faith, do not cut their hair, and both men and women cover their heads in cloth turbans. These articles represent a Sikh’s commitment to equality, service, and justice.