Tony Farrar

Inducted August 2015

Nominated by Barak Ariel, University of Cambridge

Biography:

Chief William “Tony” Farrar has been a police officer for 34 years. He is a graduate of the POST Executive Leadership Command College, POST Executive Development Course, and the Police Executive Research Forum – Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University. Chief Farrar holds graduate degrees in Administration of Justice and Business Administration, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Police Science. In 2013 he graduated from the University of Cambridge (UK) – Institute of Criminology with an additional graduate degree in Criminology and Police Management.


Evidence-Based Research and Practice:

Chief Farrar has extensive knowledge and expertise relating to tactical operations and has presented information relating to tactical operations to audiences including law enforcement, community groups, and the private sector throughout California and other states. He has developed several law enforcement conferences and training venues and his written materials have been published in both domestic and international publications.

In 2012, Chief Farrar (and the Rialto Police Department), in partnership with Dr. Barak Ariel and the University of Cambridge Institute of Criminology, and Taser International, embarked on a groundbreaking year-long study to evaluate the effects of body-worn video cameras on police use-of-force and officer complaints. This study found that that the likelihood of force being used in control conditions (no cameras) were roughly twice those in experimental conditions (using body-worn cameras). In 2013, Chief Farrar received the Award of Excellence in Evidence-Based Policing from the Society of Evidence-Based Policing for his research on Body Worn Video. This award was presented to Chief Farrar at the 6th Annual Evidence-Based Policing Conference in Cambridge. In February 2013, Chief Farrar was selected to serve as an Executive Fellow at the Police Foundation in Washington D.C. The Police Foundation’s central focus is the advancement of policing through innovation, research, and science. In 2014, Chief Farrar and the Rialto Police Department received the Motorola – Webber Seavey Award for Excellence in Police Programs (body-worn video) from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

Chief Farrar has become one of the leading experts on Body Worn Video and has presented on this technology not only across the United States but also internationally. He has testified on this technology in both Sacramento and Washington D.C. and currently sits as the Co-Chair of the Body-Worn Video Committee for the California Association of Police Chiefs. To date, many law enforcement agencies across the U.S. have already implemented body camera programs based on the Rialto Study: the Los Angeles Police Department, Dallas Texas Police Department, the Oakland Police Department, and the New York City Police Department just to name a few. Additionally, hundreds of agencies have requested Rialto’s policy along with several major Law Enforcement Groups/Association to include the Police Foundation in Washington D.C., the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the California Police Chiefs Association, the Police Executive Research Forum in Washington D.C., and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).


Contributions to Grants, Publications, and Projects:


Links:

Farrar