6/15/2010 - Portland Family Has More than a Century of Service to the Police Department

Sergeant Robert J. Doherty Jr. is considered to be the Portland Police Department’s official historian by many of the officers he works with. He says he’s the “unofficial” historian.

For over a century, Doherty’s family has served the Portland Police Department. Altogether, they have dedicated about 140 years of police service to the City of Portland, a claim that no other family is able to make.

It began with Doherty's maternal great-grandfather in 1902; then his paternal grandfather Tom Doherty joined the force in 1936, serving until 1972. Doherty’s dad Robert Sr., became an officer in 1966 and retired in 1986. Bob Doherty has been a policeman since 1991, with his first two years working in Lewiston. He came to Portland in 1993, assuming his position as Sergeant in 2003. Doherty still has the pistol issued in 1904 to his great-grandfather, a Colt .32 special. His maternal grandfather was an officer from 1946 to 1976.

Doherty says “I’ve enjoyed every step of my career.” He described it as being exciting and challenging. “I’d wanted to be a Portland police officer since I was about two.” He has the same badge number as his father and grandfather - number 51.

“The best part of my job is working with other police officers.” It’s a job he has always loved, no matter what assignment he was given. Before his promotion to sergeant, Doherty spent two years in the drug unit and the five years before that were very special ones, serving with his dog Spike in the canine unit. Spike began working with Doherty in 1996. They spent all of their time together, at work and at home, during the five year period that Spike was a police dog. Spike died in 2008, just shy of his fourteenth birthday. Doherty has a painting of his beloved dog, which was done by Sergeant Bruce Coffin, an officer who also has a career as an artist.

During a recent ride-along, Doherty checked out the various West End streets as he cruised along in his SUV. He grew up in the West End and his parents still live there. “I walked or pedaled over every inch of this terrain,” he said. “I’m a product of Portland. I love Portland and I love the Portland Police Department.” Doherty enjoys policing the neighborhood he grew up in. When asked whether he would like his children to continue this police tradition, he replied “I want my little girls to do whatever it is they choose to do.”

He pointed out call box number 214 on the corner of Spring and Emery streets. He said that this is the last remaining call box standing - out of 51 that had been in the city. They were the sole means of communication for police officers before the police radio became available.Doherty has one of these antiques in his home. There’s also one in the lobby of 109 Middle Street.

In the time that Doherty has served Portland, he’s seen many dramatic changes in the city and in the job.
“Growing up, Portland was more of a big town. Now it’s a small city.” He listed several positive things that go along with that category, such as minor league sports teams, restaurants, and other entertainment venues. But he’s well aware of the negative side of that picture, with an increase in violent crime that wasn’t here at the same level we’re seeing today. “Drugs are a problem, both usage and trafficking,” he stated, and he’s seen that close-up while serving in the drug unit.

“Police today have to be better communicators than ever,” said Doherty, referring to the fact that police these days serve in so many different capacities: handling people with medical problems, drug-related issues, and responding to so many calls involving people with mental illness.
Neither Doherty nor his relatives ever suffered serious on-the-job injuries. He commented that the police force has been fortunate as an organization.

“We’ve had police officers, shot, stabbed, and run over; but they have survived.” He compared officers to bomb technicians, saying “They defuse and deflect situations and then go on to the next call. When a bomb goes off, it becomes a high-profile incident.” He praises Medcu for their swift handling of all medical emergencies, and feels that a couple of officers owe their lives to the speed and efficiency with which Medcu handled their injuries. “The folks from Medcu are unbelievably talented.”

Doherty drove out to the well-tended grave of Charles E. McIntosh, the first Portland officer killed in the line of duty. He was shot and stabbed in 1916. Doherty said that on Memorial Day 2011, a cast-bronze memorial plaque will be placed in the plaza of 109 Middle Street, commemorating those officers killed in the line of duty, and those who died while in service to the city.

Bob Doherty is a man understandably proud of his heritage. At age 40, he says: “Half of my life, I’ve been a policeman, and I still love what I do. It’s truly about being involved and connecting with folks.”
Marge Niblock-West End News