One year later, Galt pauses Friday to honor police officer Harminder Grewal in wreath ceremony
The city of Galt will honor one of its own Friday in a public memorial and wreath laying at noon for fallen police officer Harminder Grewal on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Galt Police Department will conduct the public memorial induction and wreath laying at Civic Drive and C Street.
A private reception is scheduled to follow.
It was one year ago Aug. 21 that Grewal and his partner, Officer Kapri Herrera, were severely injured on Highway 99 near Dillard Road when their patrol cruiser was struck head-on just outside Galt on their way to assist at the Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County.
The fateful assignment was a day off for both officers, Galt police said at the time, remarking that they gave up their free days to make sure others were safe.
Grewal survived four days in intensive care at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center and died Aug. 26, 2021, of his injuries.
Herrera survived the collision and spent days at the south Sacramento hospital recovering from her injuries.
The driver of the pickup that collided with the officer’s patrol vehicle died in the crash. His two passengers were injured.
Grewal was a Galt officer for just 2½ years, but his impact was immediate and deeply felt.
Beloved by his fellow officers, Grewal was a member of his department’s honor guard and, in 2020, was named its Officer of the Year.
“Officer Grewal made you feel like you knew him forever,” then-Galt Police interim chief Rick Small said last August in announcing Grewal’s death. “People were just drawn to him. That’s who he was.”
Galt Police, in a statement last year after the fallen Grewal was posthumously awarded his bachelor’s degree, remembered his pride in serving the Galt community and his contagious work ethic that inspired fellow officers.
“His service to our community will never be forgotten,” the department’ said.
Civic Drive from Caroline Avenue to C Street in Galt will be closed to through traffic from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday for the ceremony.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 10:06 AM.
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