Elk Grove Police Department dedicates new building to fallen motor officer Ty Lenehan
The Elk Grove Police Department named its new building Wednesday after the city’s first officer to die in the line of duty.
Motor officer Tyler “Ty” Lenehan, 44, was riding his department-issued motorcycle south on Highway 99 near 47th Avenue on Jan. 21, 2022, when a driver traveling the wrong way in a 2016 Dodge Challenger struck him, knocking him off the motorcycle and killing him.
The department’s new headquarters, which opened in 2026, is now known as the Ty Lenehan Public Safety Center and Council Chambers.
Lenehan served six years with the Elk Grove Police Department after previously working for the Galt and Citrus Heights police departments.
He achieved his dream assignment as a motor officer in 2021, about a year before his death.
Lenehan’s family described him as “a bright light of personality,” saying in a statement released by the department that he dedicated his life outside law enforcement to his family and church community and “performed innumerable acts of charity and kindness and blessed many lives with his personality, love and humility.”
In January 2022, Elk Grove residents gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor Lenehan’s legacy.
A few days later, hundreds of community members gathered outside the Elk Grove Police Department to pay their respects. Nine motorcycle officers led the motorcade carrying Lenehan through the city to the community of Rescue and Green Valley Mortuary.
In April 2023, the department unveiled a banner that will remain permanently displayed on Elk Grove streets. The city’s banners honor residents who served in the military. A banner honoring Lenehan, a former Air Force senior airman, hangs among them.
A stretch of Highway 99 also was designated the Police Officer Tyler “Ty” Lenehan Memorial Highway.
In May 2023, members of California’s law enforcement community gathered at the state Capitol to honor nine officers, including Lenehan, who were killed in the line of duty over the previous two years.
During the ceremony, Lenehan’s name and the names of eight other officers were added to the California Peace Officers’ Memorial near the Capitol, joining more than 1,600 others.
