Valor: The American Odyssey of Roy Dominguez

Nine: Becoming Lake County Sheriff

Our mission at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is to enhance the quality of life in Lake County by serving and protecting our community through excellent law enforcement services. Lake County Sheriff Rogelio“Roy” Dominguez’s website What about it? Any of you got guts enough to stand up and take sides? Eric “Hoss” Cartwright, Bonanza, season 1, episode 13, “Vendetta” 174 175 One day I took my teenage daughter Maria to the animal pound after school to adopt a kitten. We arrived around 3:30, an hour before the Lake County animal pound was scheduled to close, and asked if we could take a close look at the kittens. The director said curtly, “Don’t you see the sign? We do not show cats after three o’clock. Come back tomorrow.” I thought to myself, “How unfortunate” and “Such a bad attitude.” As we were leaving, Maria asked what happened and I said, “What you have just witnessed is a lack of concern for public service.” That was the nicest way I could put it. She understood. 2002 Race for Sheriff Realizing my previous campaign for sheriff in 1994 was too abbreviated, I decided to announce in May of 2001, a year in advance. Starting early would allow me sufficient time to promote my reasons for seeking the office and communicate those ideals and principles successfully. During my predecessor’s seven years in office, the sheriff’s department had become more politicized, and its morale and reputation had suffered grievous damage. Pilfering and corrupt practices had occurred to the extentthatseveralfederalcriminalinvestigationshadtakenplace.Itwas so bad that a sheriff’s police officer assigned to the Lake County Drug Task Force was under federal investigation for criminal activities while on duty. After a lengthy federal probe, Officer Alex H. Richardson was indicted for several federal criminal offenses, found guilty, and sent to a federal penitentiary. After serving his prison sentence, Richardson Becoming Lake County Sheriff nine 176 Valor wrote a book titled Lines Crossed, published by Author House. In it he discusses his activities and those of the Drug Task Force. He wasn’t the only one convicted. I decided to make my announcement outside the Crown Point sheriff ’s office at the Lake County government complex, similar to when mayoral candidates stand on the steps of city hall, a tradition that is about as American as you can get. Upon hearing of my plans, Sheriff John Buncich threatened to have me arrested if I went through with the announcement. My reaction was, “He’s got to be kidding.” No, in fact he told the local media that his attorney, John Bushemi, had advised him that I couldn’t make my announcement on county property without permission. Never mind that it was public property and that so long as I was not being disruptive, I would not be guilty of trespassing. Finding such a position distasteful and vulgar, the local press wrote stinging articles and editorials denouncing his threat. I’m sure it sold a lot of newspapers. Asked if I intended to go through with the plan, I declared,“Absolutely.”Reportersbilleditastheshowdownathighnoon, like in the western movie of that name starring Gary Cooper. It was not that I wanted to go to jail, but I was willing to risk it in order to defend myfreedomofspeechandcandidacy.Irecalledthatmydadandbrothers hadservedourcountryinthemilitaryandthatDad’scousingavehislife fighting in Korea. I wasn’t about to let anyone bully or intimidate me or my family. In Lake County, politics is hard-fought and not for the faint of heart, but this threat had reached a new low. As the twelve o’clock hour approached, I was with wife Betty, daughters Maria and Veronica, and my mom, who was all for me standing up to Buncich and wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I think my mom might have duked it out with my adversary had he shown up. My dad was too ill to attend but knew I needed to make a stand. He was there in spirit. The ravages of diabetes, including muscle loss and occasional signs of dementia, had reached the point where he needed frequent medication and constant monitoring in a nursing home. Still, whenever we visited him, his parting words were, “Be sure you take care of your mom.” I made the announcement that I was a candidate for sheriff on a green pathway between Buildings B and C of the Crown Point county...