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

Do you struggle with anxiety, depression, stress, grief, trauma or anger? Are
you ready to make a change?
Lauren K. Nickum, LCSW, CSAC from Peaceful Mind Solutions is now taking new
clients for psychotherapy. Lauren has over 10 years of experience treating
mental health disorders and general life stress in adults and adolescents. For
more information visit
peacefulmindsolutions.com.

(This Community Post was written by Signature Theatre and underwritten by Embracing Arlington Arts.)
Signature Theatre just released single tickets for all 33rd season productions, which highlights the organization’s long-time relationship with legendary composer Stephen Sondheim. Beginning with the musical adaptation of The Color Purple and irreverent No Place to Go, the season continues with three Sondheim musicals, the DC premieres of Off-Broadway hit Which Way to the Stage and Pulitzer Prize finalist Selling Kabul, the Tony Award®-winning rock musical Passing Strange, and return of Signature’s cabaret series honoring legendary artists.
“Last November, the world lost an icon. The death of Stephen Sondheim was a blow to everyone in the theater community. Signature Theatre would not be the same without Sondheim — he IS Signature’s ‘signature.’ This season, we are honoring the legend with productions of Into the Woods, Pacific Overtures and Sweeney Todd dedicated to his memory. These shows represent the diversity and range of Sondheim,” said Signature’s Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner about the new season.
MEGA Wine Tasting
Join us Sunday, Aug 28 from 12-3pm for our MEGA Wine Tasting
How it Works:
We’ve invited all our wine vendors that we work with to bring 6-10 wines in their portfolio (wines that are usually not carried at Osteria
Running & Strength Training Group Workout #1
Join our first workout of Coach Kate’s fall Running & Strength Training Program on Tuesday, August 30 at 6:30 a.m. at Oak Grove Park.
First/trial session is Free Of Charge. If you would like to join the program — which