WWII vet oversaw growth of DuPage County sheriff’s office
RICHARD P. DORIA 1927-2020
Richard Doria was DuPage County’s elected sheriff for more than 18 years, overseeing significant growth and modernization of the department.
“Some would say he was hardheaded, but he had a vision, and he knew where he was going, and the sheriff ’s office was his baby,” said Michael Tellone, a retired sergeant for the DuPage County sheriff’s office. “He modernized that whole place, including modernizing the crime lab, starting a hazardous device unit, starting a bomb squad, expanding the jail and starting the canine program, not only for bloodhounds for tracking people but also for narcotic and bomb detection.”
Doria, 92, died of congestive heart failure Jan. 17 at AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center in Hinsdale, said his wife of 31 years, retired DuPage County Judge MaryEllen Provenzale. Doria had been a longtime Downers Grove resident.
Doria grew up in Westmont. While an elementary school pupil in the 1930s, he won a contest to create the village motto, “The Progressive Village,” which continues to be used to this day.
Doria was a student at Hinsdale Township High School when he tried to enter the Navy at 15, but was rebuffed due to his age. Doria stayed in school and joined the Marine Corps at 17, during World War II, and saw combat in Japan and in the South Pacific, his family said.
Returning home, he worked for a time in his family’s carnival business. He served again in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, including time as a military policeman, his wife said.
Doria joined the DuPage County sheriff’s office in 1962, working as a patrol officer, a detective, a deputy and as a juvenile officer. Along the way, he received a bachelor’s degree from Lewis University.
“He slowly worked his way up the ladder,” his wife said.
Doria was the undersheriff, the No. 2 position in the office, before winning a three-way intraparty race in spring 1978 to garner the Republican nomination. He then won the November 1978 general election to replace retiring Sheriff Wayne Shimp.
During his years as sheriff, DuPage County saw tremendous population growth and a corresponding increase in crime, leading to the construction of a larger, more modern courthouse and jail. Doria was involved in the planning and building of both facilities.
Doria also worked to professionalize the sheriff’s office, which during his tenure became the first sheriff’s office in Illinois to be accredited by the National Sheriffs Association.
The pugnacious Doria also was known for his outspokenness and his fierce loyalty to the men and women in his agency. A 1992 Tribune article said he was “variously described as autocratic, a dinosaur, hotheaded and overly independent,” but also noted that Doria “often speaks out when other politicians play it safe.”
Bob Winkler, a retired lieutenant in the sheriff’s office, oversaw the office of professional standards and conduct while working for Doria. He praised Doria for modernizing the department.
“Number one, he was always fair with his staff and his people, and all he really expected from you is that you did your job, and you were professional when it came down to it. The truth mattered the most,” Winkler said. “And he was a visionary who wanted all his people to pursue higher education, and he also had a plan for the department into the future where he envisioned the department providing services to the whole community throughout the county.”
Of the thousands of crimes that Doria’s office handled during his tenure, the 1983 murder of 10-yearold Jeanine Nicarico stands out. His detectives were the main investigators, and their work led to the arrests, convictions and imprisonment of two men who later were freed after a Supreme Court reversal of one conviction, a new trial, an in-court admission of error by a key sheriff ’s office employee and a court-ordered acquittal.
Although Doria never was accused of any wrongdoing, four of his sworn officers — along with several prosecutors — were indicted by a special prosecutor for allegedly taking part in a plot to falsify evidence against the two defendants. All were found not guilty. Doria continually defended his detectives’ actions in the case.
DuPage County Circuit Judge John Kinsella recalled working with Doria while a county prosecutor.
“He could be a gruff and tough-talking Marine who never hesitated to share his opinion on any subject, (but) he was also a kindhearted guy who was loyal to his friends and employees,” Kinsella said. “He was very well-respected by everyone in the law enforcement community.”
Kinsella recalled witnessing Doria’s leadership during a 1995 Ku Klux Klan rally on the steps of DuPage’s courthouse. Kinsella and then-State’s Attorney Joe Birkett watched from inside the courthouse as Doria “led his deputies from the front.”
“While he might have not been big in stature, he had a big heart and never backed off,” Kinsella said.
In 1992, Doria was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to serve as the federal marshal for the Northern District of Illinois — a role that entails moving prisoners around, serving warrants and securing courtrooms. However, the U.S. Senate never acted on Doria’s nomination, and it expired with the end of Bush’s presidential term and his reelection defeat.
In 1997, Doria resigned as sheriff to accept Gov. Jim Edgar’s appointment to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. He stepped down in November 2000 for health reasons, his wife said.
In retirement, Doria divided his time between Downers Grove and Florida.
“In Florida, he took to the water like you wouldn’t believe,” his wife said. “There wasn’t anything that he couldn’t conquer.”
A first marriage to Louise Dewing ended in divorce. In addition to his wife, Doria is survived by a son, Richard P. Jr.; a daughter, Mary Rose Russell; four stepsons, Donald J. Provenzale Jr., James Provenzale; John Provenzale; and Patrick Provenzale; and nine grandchildren.
Services were held.