An effort to rename a portion of Highway 33 after slain Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh is seeing a renewed effort after initially failing to make any traction when it was first proposed.

Stanislaus County Board Supervisor Channce Condit and Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil (SD-4) have banded together to reignite the efforts to have a portion of Highway 33 named after Cpl. Singh.

“After Supervisor Condit informed me that more action was required to ensure that this memorial became a reality, we contacted the Department of Transportation and finished the documentation,” Alvarado-Gil said. “I am honored to join with the Newman Police Association, the Blue Line Wives advocacy group, and other community leaders to be a part of recognizing the legacy of Officer Ronil Singh.”

“Our community will never forget Officer Singh and his family,” said Condit. “This dedication is the least we can do for the sacrifice that they have made for us. I want to thank the Senator for moving this dedication forward to honor a true hero.”

Originally, a plan to rename a portion of the highway in Singh’s honor started in 2019, when the Assembly Transportation Committee approved a resolution for the Corporal Ronil Singh Memorial Highway that would encompass a stretch of Highway 33 in the Westside.

Alvarado-Gil’s office is working with Caltrans to determine where the memorial will go. The State approves the memorial sections, but does not cover the costs associated with any memorial signs or plaques. That is where the advocacy group Blue Line Wives comes in. Blue Line Wives was founded in 2016 by Amanda Young after the death of a law enforcement member in her hometown. She said she saw a need to support the families behind the law enforcement community, both in times of tragedy and in times of joy.

Singh was born in Fiji and came to the United States to pursue his dream of becoming a police officer. Singh started his law enforcement career as a volunteer with the Modesto Police Department and then served as a cadet and animal service officer with the Turlock Police Department. He worked in Turlock from 2006 to 2010 and then joined the Merced County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy in 2010. He graduated Modesto Junior College in 2009 with a degree in criminal justice. Singh joined the Newman Police Department in 2011. 

On Dec. 26, 2018, Singh was shot and killed during an early-morning traffic stop of a suspected drunken driver in Newman. Singh was survived by his wife Anamika and their young son, who was just 5-months-old at the time of his death.

Blue Line Wives is accepting donations as well as selling memorial challenge coins to help raise funds. To donate please go to bluelinewives.com.