Community Corner
Fallen Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy Honored In Hemet
Valle Vista Park, east of the city, will be renamed for officer Brett M. Harris, who was fatally injured nearly one year ago.
HEMET, CA — The Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved renaming a park east of Hemet in honor of a fallen Riverside County sheriff's deputy, who patrolled the area in the months prior to his death.
The board, without comment, directed the Department of Facilities Management to re-christen Valle Vista Park at 25175 Fairview Ave. "Deputy Brett M. Harris Park."
The motion was jointly introduced by board Chairman Chuck Washington and Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez.
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"During his tenure, Brett was heavily invested in the Riverside County Sheriff's Explorer program and would take the young adults on ride- alongs as an advisor," they wrote. "He also specialized in domestic violence investigations during his time at the sheriff's Hemet Station. Brett routinely received letters of gratitude from community members that he had assisted during his shifts."
Harris, 27, was fatally injured in the predawn hours of last May 12 when his sheriff's patrol SUV was involved in a collision with a Nissan Maxima at the intersection of Esplanade Avenue and State Street in San Jacinto.
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The Nissan plowed into the driver's side of the patrol vehicle as it was going through the intersection after Harris received a call for assistance from a fellow deputy contending with a mentally disturbed individual.
He suffered a catastrophic brain injury in the wreck and died the following day. The Nissan driver, identified only as a 54-year-old Hemet woman, suffered minor injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol.
She was not charged in connection with the collision.
After his death, Harris' vital organs were harvested per his personal wishes to donate them.
"It wasn't just a job for Brett; it was a calling," Sheriff Chad Bianco said during the lawman's funeral in June. "He knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. We were lucky to have him."
Harris had been a patrol deputy for 15 months, prior to which he served as a correctional officer at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta, where he was assigned following graduation from the sheriff's academy in 2019.
He left behind his wife, parents, a twin sister and an older brother.
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