Domenico Cacciola (born 1945 in Sicily) is a former police officer and author of The Second Father. He joined the Queensland Police in 1966, and became an undercover detective in the 1970s. After retiring in 2001, he wrote his memoir with the assistance of his brother Carmelo Cacciola and journalist Ben Robertson. In 2009 the University of Queensland Press published his autobiography The Second Father, which detailed how he resisted the corruption which was rampant within the Queensland Police until the Fitzgerald Inquiry.[1]
Early Life
editBorn in war-torn Sicily in 1945, Domenico Cacciola moved with his family to Brisbane, Australia in 1954.[2] His father ran a fruit shop in New Farm, and as the eldest of four brothers Domenico was considered the 'second father'.[1] As a child Cacciola experienced racism and discrimination due to his heritage, which prompted his decision to apply to the Queensland Police in 1965.[2]
Career
editCacciola joined the Queensland Police in 1966 and due to his Sicilian background was assigned to undercover duties investigating illegal gambling activities within the Italian community.[2] In the 1970s he witnessed the full extent of corruption within the police force, serving under the now disgraced Sergeant Jack Herbert and former Commissioner Terry Lewis (police officer).[2] In the late 1970s he became a Special Branch detective, spending much of his time breaking up street marches in Brisbane in what was a period of social unrest.[3] In 1977 he received the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct, and the National Medal (Australia) in 1991.[4]
Books
edit- The Second Father (2009) ISBN 978 0 7022 3712 6