PIERCE COUNTY, Wash-- Retired Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar will be best remembered for his actions following the murder of four of his officers in 2009.
Farrar lost his life to cancer this week in Arizona.
A new documentary and an old reality show clip may ensure he’s never forgotten.
“I couldn’t be more proud to have him in the movie,” said Thomas Marchese, director and writer of “Fallen.”
The film focuses on police officer line-of-duty deaths.
Marchese estimates about a third of “Fallen” covers the Lakewood PD murders and includes extensive interviews with Farrar.
“He is in the very first shot of the film and the very last shot,” said Marchese, who said the film could not have been made without Farrar’s input.
Marchese said Farrar helped deliver the message of the film.
“It was just that cops are people,” Marchese said.
Before the 2009 shootings put Farrar in the spotlight, co-workers said he was best known for his appearance in a 1992 episode of COPS.
“When I go around the country, people remember that episode,” said Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor.
He said 25 years later, he’s still proud of the actions shown by then-Deputy Farrar and his partner, Deputy Bill Cassio.
“They showed one of our key values in this department, which is compassion,” said Pastor.
The episode followed Farrar and Cassio during a child endangerment call.
After finding a dirty home full of hungry children, the deputies instructed the father to clean up the home.
While he cleaned, Farrar and Cassio went grocery shopping for the family and ultimately paid for the groceries with their own money.
Pastor said the deputies would have done the same had the TV cameras not been there.
“That’s the kind of approach to compassion that Bret had,” said Pastor.
A City of Lakewood spokesperson said Farrar's family is planning on having a memorial service in Pierce County.
