Identifying gang members and teaching about gangs earned a national award for a Rutherford County Sheriff’s School Resource Officer.

            SRO Bobby Farley of Oakland High School received the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award of Superior Service in Gang Prevention. The award was presented by the National Gang Crime Research Center .

            The award was established by the Journal of Gang Research in 1992 to honor and recognize outstanding scholarship, leadership and service contributions by individuals and programs in dealing with public safety issues like that posted by gangs.

            SRO Farley taught classes about gangs to law enforcement officers, Rutherford County Schools’ teachers and parents. He spoke to community groups about gangs. Along with fellow SROs and deputies, he identified gang members and documented their membership. He was a guest speaker at the National Gang Crime Research Center , teaching interview and intelligence gathering strategies from gang members.

            “I was able to help a parent find out her child was involved with a gang from a class I taught,” SRO Farley said. “I spoke to the student and counseled him about how dangerous it was to be in a gang.”

            Sheriff Robert Arnold said it was an honor for Farley to receive the award.