This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Bill Farley can still recall being pulled out of high school and taken by an officer in a patrol vehicle to the hospital in 1951. During the ride, he heard over the police radio that his father — a Salt Lake City sergeant — had died.
Farley gathered Tuesday, along with four generations of his family, Salt Lake City police officers, the mayor and members of the city council, to unveil a memorial plaque on the wall of the Broadway Centre at about 270 South and State Street — the place where 37-year-old Sgt. Owen T. Farley died in the line of duty on May 23, 1951.
Tears streamed down the faces of great-grandchildren and others who listened to how Farley was shot and killed by a robber he had arrested as they were headed to the police station for booking.
Salt Lake City police Lt. Mike Ross told the crowd — which included more than 35 family members — that on the night of May 22, 1951, a car involved in a robbery was spotted and that officers were watching it so they could make an arrest.
When an officer who had watched the car for hours asked to be relieved for lunch, Farley walked over from the station two blocks away.
Soon after, Farley saw the two suspects — Don Jesse Neal and Wilma Tully, both in their early 30s — near the car and arrested them.
The patrol car the other officer had taken to go to lunch wouldn't start, so Farley decided after searching the duo to take them to the station in the suspect's vehicle.
Neal was in hand cuffs, but Tully was not. As Farley drove north down State Street, Neal grabbed a gun and shot Farley in the stomach and fled after the car crashed. Neal was captured on 500 South, but the woman fled and was later found in Nevada.
According to End of Watch, by Robert Kirby, investigators later realized the .38-caliber pistol used by Neal had been hidden between the front seat cushions. Despite the handcuffs, Neal was able to grab the gun and turn his back toward Farley to fire at the officer.
Don Jesse Neal, was later convicted of murder and was executed by firing squad in 1955. Tully testified against Neal and disappeared.
Bill Farley, who was 16 at the time his dad died, told the crowd on Tuesday that the mid-block location on State Street where the memorial was placed is a "hallowed spot."
"This is the last spot he was alive and breathing," Bill Farley said, adding that he would return there often to remember the dad he lost. "He was a wonderful father."
Farley's widowed wife was left to care for three children. "It was really tough as a family," Bill Farley said.
This is the fourth plaque of 22 that will eventually be placed around the city, part of the Salt Lake City Police History project.
Doug Farley, the younger son, said the emotion he felt after his dad died when he was 9 and the emotion he felt Tuesday was very similar — awe. He was surprised at all the people that showed their concern for him, then and now.
"I said goodbye to him that morning, and that was the last time I saw him," Doug Farley said, after the service.
Salt Lake City police Chief Chris Burbank said Farley was "so much more than just a police officer," and that the service he provided would not be forgotten.
"The contribution didn't end in 1951 on this street," Burbank said. "It continues today and his legacy will live on and on forever."
After the memorial service, Farley's grandson, Mike Farley, said he was so impressed by the ceremony that he decided to sponsor and help pay for another plaque for someone else.
"It means something more to have [the plaque] right where [the fatal shooting] occurred," Mike Farley said.
During the service, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker read a resolution making May 15-21 Police Week in the city.
"As we have downtown rising, it is so fitting that we recognize those who have served us in Salt Lake City, and particularly those who literally have given their lives," Becker said to the crowd.
Becker said that sometimes the country and society take public safety and rights lightly.
"We know that looking around the world it is not something that we should take for granted," he said.
Also Tuesday, which is national Peace Officers Memorial Day, Gov. Gary Herbert asked state agency flags lowered to half-staff to honor fallen police officers.
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