Andy Penn, a well-liked veteran of the Arlington County Police Department, will serve as acting chief after the retirement of Chief M. Jay Farr next month.
Penn, who started as an ACPD patrol officer in 1992 and has served as deputy chief since July 2015, will temporarily assume the top job on Saturday, Sept. 5. The department has launched a national search to find Farr’s permanent successor.
More from a press release:
Charles “Andy” Penn will become Acting Chief of the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) on Sept. 5, taking over from Police Chief Murray “Jay” Farr, who is retiring after 30 years of service in the Police Department.
Penn has served as Deputy Chief of Police since July 2015. He is a 28-year veteran of the Arlington County Police Department, beginning his career as a patrol officer in 1992. Penn currently serves as the commander of the Operations Division, overseeing the daily operations of two Patrol Sections, Community Resource Section, Tactical Operations Section, Operation Support Section and the Special Operations Section. See full bio.
“Deputy Chief Penn’s experience and professionalism will help lead our Police Department during this transitional period,” said County Manager Mark Schwartz. “He has helped to build our well-respected Police Department, and his deep knowledge of the community will be immensely important in this role.”
“I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to continue serving the Arlington community as Acting Chief of Police,” said Deputy Chief Penn. “I thank Chief Farr for his exceptional and steadfast leadership to the dedicated men and women of the Arlington County Police Department over the last five years.”
National Recruitment for New Police Chief
The County Manager also is launching a national recruitment effort for a new Chief of Police this fall. The recruitment process also will include several opportunities for community input beginning in October. There will be no decision on final candidates until sometime after the work of the newly formed Police Practice Group is completed in December.
Photo via Arlington County
Recent Stories

St. Charles offers a play-based curriculum in a welcoming, Christ-centered environment.
Our program focuses on socio-emotional development and kindergarten readiness through hands-on and engaging activities. Our programs offer different schedules ranging from 7:30 am-5:30 pm for students, ages 2-5. We feature a full-day Jr. kindergarten class for older 4’s/5’s. Our facility includes a full-sized gymnasium, school chapel, and library. All of our students enjoy music and physical education weekly. Children have an opportunity to participate in enrichment classes such as soccer, basketball, ballet, and science.
We offer Summer Camp with weekly themes and twice a week water play, including Fun Friday moon bounce. Please join us for our Open House Feb. 3 at 9:30 am and 11:00 am. Click here to sign-up.
For more information or to schedule a tour, visit us at www.stcharlesarlington.org or call (703) 527-0608.

If you are a lifelong learner over 50+ who wants to make new friends, power up your brain, and enjoy a wide-variety college-level courses, Encore Learning is for you. An Arlington based nonprofit, Encore Learning offers courses in the arts, theater, literature, history, technology and more. This semester we offer our most popular course, Global Hot Spots as well as 25 new courses. Courses are presented either online or in-person at George Mason University at Virginia Square and other Arlington locations.
Join the free presentation to learn about courses and meet the instructors. This is Encore Learning’s signature event to highlight the upcoming semester with brief presentations by each instructor.
The Spring Course Preview event is Thursday, February 2nd at 9:30 AM via Zoom:
First-time Moms Meet & Greet
The truth, your first pregnancy and new mom months are full of twists and turns, ups and downs, and lots of questions! None of us really know the best way to do it – we just figure it out, together…
Live Standup Comedy Starring Casey James Salengo (Jimmy Kimmel Live,…
Casey James Salengo is a NYC based comedian who’s been featured on Comedy Central Presents, Jimmy Kimmel Live, This Week at the Cellar, and HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay. He performs at clubs, bars, road houses, carnival tents, erotic book