Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer William Farquhar died as the result of receiving an experimental rabies vaccination after being bitten by a rabid dog on Potomac Street, NW, near M Street, NW. He was attempting to shoot the dog when he was bitten. A second officer at the scene shot and killed the dog.
The rabies treatment that was prescribed caused severe pain and paralysis and led to his death 16 days later.
Officer Farquhar had served with the Metropolitan Police Department for 15 years and was assigned to the 7th Precinct.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-DC-3F1EA48D- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Farquhar gave the Metropolitan Police Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Washington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Farquhar.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer William Charles Farquhar is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In DC, 454 of 1,419 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Metropolitan Police Department, 48 of 131 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 36.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Charles Farquhar's cause is highlighted.
How William Charles Farquhar Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Charles Farquhar is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
130 officers from Metropolitan Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
