WORCESTER — For retired Worcester police Officer Douglas Farber, the clearest memory of his former partner Kurt Solomon is not a dramatic arrest or dangerous call.
It is the way Solomon treated people.
“He was patient, he listened and he was empathetic at the same time,” Farber said.
Solomon, 57, was found dead Tuesday morning inside his Wildwood Avenue home. Authorities have released limited information about the circumstances of his death and have identified his wife, Karen Solomon, 58, as a suspect.
A search for Karen Solomon was continuing Wednesday as law enforcement officers searched areas of Worcester. Authorities had warned that she should be considered armed and dangerous.
Amid the investigation, Farber remembered Solomon as a police officer who spent much of his career building relationships with the people he served.
A career built around community policing
Solomon was a lifelong Worcester resident and graduated from South High Community School, according to Farber.
Before joining the Worcester Police Department, he served as a U.S. Army military police officer in Germany. He graduated from the Worcester Police Academy in 1996.
He initially worked cruiser patrol, including assignments along Route 12 and Main Street.
Around 2009, Solomon moved to the department’s bike unit, where he became partners with Farber.
The assignment allowed the two officers to take a different approach to policing. They spent time in Main South and downtown Worcester, getting to know residents and business owners and attending neighborhood Crime Watch meetings.
They also remained available for calls throughout the city.
When a nearby emergency call came over the radio, the officers would often volunteer to respond on their bicycles.
“Whether we were on the east side or the west side, if there was a call that was close by and we were on bikes, we would volunteer and take the call,” Farber said. “Kurt really enjoyed doing that.”
Farber said Solomon was meticulous about his work, routinely arriving early and making sure his reports were completed properly.
But his former partner said Solomon’s greatest strength was the compassion he showed people during difficult encounters.
‘He’d rather help’ than make an arrest
Farber said Solomon often looked for alternatives to arrest when dealing with people accused of relatively minor offenses.
In cases involving people struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues, Farber said Solomon would sometimes seek medical or mental health assistance instead of simply taking someone to jail.
“Putting somebody in jail for a small amount of time so they’ll get bailed out — it’s not really gonna help somebody,” Farber said.
Solomon believed connecting people with appropriate care could do more good, Farber said.
That approach became a defining part of the officer’s career and reflected the community-policing philosophy he and Farber practiced together.
In 2017, the two officers transferred to foot patrol in downtown Worcester.
Farber retired from the department in 2020. Solomon continued working for the Worcester Police Department and was assigned to the Union Station area before his death.
Remembered beyond the police department
Farber said Solomon’s commitment to helping others extended beyond his police work.
He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and enjoyed golf and mountain biking. He also placed a strong emphasis on fitness and encouraged friends to take care of their health.
Farber recalled that Solomon would sometimes criticize his eating habits — something he now remembers as another example of his friend’s concern for others.
“He would scold me for eating bad food all the time,” Farber said. “That was because he cared about me.”
Solomon was also a father to two adult sons, Nick and Brandon.
Farber said he sees many of the same qualities in them that he admired in their father.
“They’re very compassionate kids, they’re intelligent kids, and they’re both hard workers — just like their father was,” he said.
Search for Karen Solomon continues
The investigation into Solomon’s death remained active Wednesday, with a substantial law enforcement presence reported near Coes Pond.
Authorities have also released surveillance footage that they said appeared to show Karen Solomon walking along a street early Tuesday morning. Police previously said she was last seen traveling toward Wescott Street.
Karen Solomon is the founder and president of First H.E.L.P., a nonprofit organization that works to address mental health stigma among first responders and connect them with mental health resources.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive or provided additional details about the circumstances surrounding Kurt Solomon’s death.
As the investigation continued, Farber said he wanted people to remember his former partner not only for his service as a Worcester police officer, but for the way he treated the people around him.
