Danny Doherty retires and tells of the cases that have stuck with him over 40 years

He is one of the most recognisable officers in the NSW Police Force, but today Danny Doherty will call time on a 40 year career.

Retiring Homicide boss Danny Doherty. Pictures: Justin Lloyd/Supplied

On the whiteboard in Danny Doherty’s office is a list of dozens of words – each of them is the name of a strike force for an ongoing murder investigation.

Pick any of the strike forces and he can tell you about the case and more importantly, the victims.

It is that level of dedication that has endeared Doherty to people across the state in his role as NSW Police Homicide Squad commander.

Many know him as the face on the news delivering details of the most horrific murders across the state, while in his next breath speaking empathetically about the victims.

Today, he calls time on a career spanning four decades, moving on from investigating murders to spend more time playing music, take up golf and to continue in his more important role as a grandfather.

NSW Police Homicide Squad boss Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty will finish up in the job today. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Doherty posed for this photo on his first day at the Goulburn Police Academy in January 1985.

A smiling Doherty during one of his earliest media interviews. Picture: Supplied

“Finishing off at Homicide is really, a bit of an honour, you know, it’s the pinnacle of criminal investigations,” Doherty said.

“I’m proud of what I’ve done, but now it’s time to give back somewhere else and that’s with the family, so that’s where I’m going.”

Family has long been a massive part of life in the police for Doherty, having met wife Jayne when working at Bankstown in 1994.

Doherty says he does not know why she took a liking to him at that stage when he had a mullet and was in his own words a “busted arse”, but says she must have seen some “potential” in him.

“I know certainly from my own point of view that I wouldn’t be where I am without her,” he said.

The Dohertys have been in charge of two of the State Crime Command’s biggest jobs in recent years – Danny as Homicide boss, and Jayne running the Sex Crimes Squad.

The couple carpool daily from home to the Parramatta Police Headquarters, making for some interesting conversations on the way.

Doherty fronts the media in the wake of the gangland assassination of Alen Moradian in Bondi Junction in 2023. Picture: Adam Yip

After meeting while working at Bankstown in 1994, Jayne and Danny Doherty both rose to the rank of Detective Superintendent in charge of two of the highest profile squads at State Crime Command - Sex Crimes and Homicide. Picture: Supplied

“It’s like a therapy session. I don’t know who gets the best therapy out of it, but it’s a good way to unwind,” Doherty said.

Doherty grew up the youngest of six children from Sydney’s inner west.

He remembers being a kid in a “loving home” but is open about the domestic violence that occurred there, and says it was the response of the NSW Police to his father that first endeared cops to him.

“When you see violence in your own home … that toughens you up a bit to tell you the truth, and when you’re exposed to that sort of stuff you try to be fairly resilient,” he said

“But you’ve got to be vulnerable at the same time … really good family and I think the ability to talk about it sometimes really helps.”

Doherty tried two other careers before he signed up at the Goulburn Police Academy.

First he was a “hopeless” teacher who never graduated teachers college, before learning many key life skills in the army.

One of Doherty’s first experiences with murder was after the horrific killing of Anita Cobby, when he was among those sent to search the paddock where she was killed.

Doherty said he plans to continue playing music in his band, take up golf and spend more time in his new full-time role, as a grandfather. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Doherty tried to become a teacher and then joined the army, before signing up to the NSW Police Force. Picture: Supplied

For a man who has seen some of the worst crime scenes and police reports imaginable, Doherty says he firmly believes there is more good than bad in the world. Picture: Supplied

He had an interest in criminal investigations from early on, particularly murders, but regular exposure to death has never diminished its impact.

The result of attending a horrific car accident in which the young driver was incinerated was an inability to eat burnt steak, the smell of it simply too much of a reminder of charred flesh.

“As everyone did in the (19) 80s, they always overcooked the steak and I couldn’t eat it,” Doherty said.

Incredibly, for a man who has seen some of the worst crime scenes and police reports imaginable, Doherty says he firmly believes there is more good than bad in the world.

“You get overwhelmed that people are just bad and mad, but overwhelmingly there are so many good people out there,” he said.