Port Hueneme police reflect on death of Newman officer

Local agencies all across the state are mourning the death of Corporal Ronil Singh.

Singh was killed during a traffic stop early Wednesday morning in Newman, in Stanislaus County near Modesto.

Officers from the Port Hueneme Police Department are wearing a black band around their badges to signify a time of mourning and solidarity with their colleagues in another smaller organization.

Flags at the department are also being flown at half-staff.

Port Hueneme officer Mike Hamrick knows the risks that come with wearing a badge but for the 28-year veteran, the loss of a fellow officer is never easy to comprehend.

“Law enforcement in smaller towns don’t have to deal with such a high element of criminal activity so when you have such a senseless violent act that impacts the agency,” said Hamrick. “It reverberates and spreads to the entire community.”

The Newman Police Department is made up of 13 officers and is similar to Port Hueneme, which is even smaller.

“I can only imagine how impactful it is on a city like Newman because I’m sure they spend a lot of time and really got to know Ronnie,” said Hamrick. “So it’s very tragic.”

Singhs death comes off of the heels of the loss of Ventura County Sheriff’s Sergeant Ron Helus, who was killed during the Borderline mass shooting in Thousand Oaks.

Hamrick says these senseless acts often open up the conversation to spur change.

“We’ll talk about some tactics and some of the things that could have been done differently,” said Hamrick.

The man suspected of killing Singh was arrested on Friday in Kern County.