Harris County Sheriff-elect Adrian Garcia took off his shoes and put on a head covering to enter a Sikh temple Sunday, where he pledged to expand diversity training and investigate a complaint that deputies harassed a Sikh family whose home was burglarized last month.
"It's unfortunate that we're getting to know each other under these circumstances," said Garcia, addressing several hundred men in colorful turbans and women draped in bright flowing scarves, who sat separately on the floor of the Sikh Center of Houston. "When these type of circumstances occur, we all lose. The image of what should be American authority suffers."
He said he could not address specifics of the case until after he assumes office in January. Officials have said that the deputies could face anything from disciplinary action to termination.
Ramandeep Singh, 28, an architect technician, called 911 on Nov. 26 when he discovered that his home in the 10800 block of Oak Bayou Lane had been burglarized. Jewelry and money was missing.
Rather than investigate the burglary, a deputy focused on his turban and the small ceremonial knife, called a "kirpan," his sister had sheathed on her hip, he said.
After spotting the knife, a deputy pointed a taser at the woman's head and called for backup. Deputies handcuffed four family members, including Singh's mother.
A supervisor arrived at the home and released everyone, blaming the incident on the deputy's "youth," Singh said.
His sister, Kawaljeet Kaur, remains distraught. "Why were we detained and put through this humiliating experience and shown such disrespect? We were treated as criminals when we had just been victimized," she said Sunday.
The New York-based Sikh Coalition has called for a formal apology and firing of the four deputies involved. The deputies' names have not been released, and Sheriff Tommy Thomas has declined comment.
Bobby Singh, regional director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said Harris County deputies would benefit from training about the Sikh religion that he has helped provide for Houston police recruits for the past eight years.
A monotheistic religion, the Sikh religion emerged about 500 years ago in Punjab, a state in India, by gurus who have sometimes been persecuted by some Muslims, church members said. With about 25 million followers, the religion preaches messages of honesty, equality and charity.
Bobby Singh said he hopes sheriff-elect Garcia keeps his promise to change the culture of the Harris Country Sheriff's Office.
Garcia said the incident may be the result of "misunderstandings" caused by the fact that sheriff's deputies do not have the training about the Sikh faith that Houston police do.
He hopes to change that by expanding diversity training, creating an advisory committee composed of all the county's diverse groups, recruiting Sikh police trainees, and arranging for Sikh families to host Houston police supervisors for dinner.
He estimated that it would take one to three months to complete the investigation.
[email protected]
