Frank Reagan (Blue Bloods)

Frank Reagan
Blue Bloods character
Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck)
First appearance	"Pilot" September 24, 2010
Created by	Robin Green Mitchell Burgess
Portrayed by	Tom Selleck
Information
Full name	Francis Xavier Reagan
Gender	Male
Occupation	Police officer
Title	New York City Police Commissioner
Family	Henry Reagan (father) Betty Reagan (mother)† Peter Christopher Reagan (older brother)†
Spouse(s)	Mary Margaret Reagan (wife)†
Children	Danny Reagan Erin Reagan Joe Reagan† Jamie Reagan
Relatives	Charles Reagan (grandfather)† Linda Reagan (daughter-in-law) Jack Boyle (ex-son-in-law) Nicky Reagan-Boyle (granddaughter) Jack Reagan (grandson) Sean Reagan (grandson)
Religion	Catholic
Nationality	American
Police career
Department	New York City Police Department
Years of service	1974 – Present
Rank	Commissioner
Awards	NYPD Medal of Honor NYPD Combat Cross NYPD Meritorious Police Duty NYPD Excellent Police Duty

Commissioner Francis Xavier "Frank" Reagan is a fictional character and the protagonist of the CBS TV series Blue Bloods. He is portrayed by Tom Selleck.

Biography and family

Frank is the son of Henry (Len Cariou) and Betty Reagan, born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York in the mid-1950s. He had an older brother, Peter Christopher Reagan, who died of leukemia at the age of 18 months over a year before Frank was born.^[1]

Frank married Mary Margaret Reagan in the early 1970s, and they have four children together: Danny, Erin, Joe, and Jamie. Each of Frank's sons followed him into the police force: Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) is a Detective 1st Grade and lead investigator with the 54th Precinct's Detective Squad; Joe was a Detective with the Warrants Squad who was murdered by his partner Sonny Malevsky (Michael T. Weiss), the leader of a corrupt gang of police officers called the Blue Templar;^[2] and Jamie (Will Estes) is a patrol officer assigned to the 12th Precinct with a law degree from Harvard University. Frank's only daughter, Erin (Bridget Moynahan), is also in law enforcement as a New York County Assistant District Attorney. Erin was promoted to Deputy Bureau Chief of the NYCDA's Trial Bureau in 2013.^[3]

In addition to his children, Frank is also a loving grandfather to Erin's daughter, Nicky Reagan-Boyle (Sami Gayle), and Danny's two children, Jack (Tony Terraciano) and Sean Reagan (Andrew Terraciano). In one episode, it is mentioned that Frank's wife's grandfather helped build the Brooklyn Bridge in the 1870s and '80s.^[4] Frank's dad's father, Charles Reagan, was an Irish immigrant who served in World War I before becoming a police officer. Charles was the one who taught him how to fish. In "Whistle Blower" (season 2, episode 10), Frank mentions his great-uncle Teddy Reagan, a member of the NYPD Mounted Unit, who spent a cold night in a boxcar with his horse, Dolly, and woke up in Pittsburgh.

Growing up, Frank became friends with Angelo Gallo (Chazz Palminteri), who grew up to be the best mob lawyer in the city. After Gallo was shot by a former client, Frank had him publicly arrested for hindering prosecution to protect him from being considered a rat.^[5] Another close friend of his is Monsignor Walter Donahue, a member of the city archdiocese.

However, it is also mentioned that Frank does not have many friends in the New York City Council,^[6] especially since the arrest of Councilman Tony Mancini (Richard Burgi), a former NYPD detective, for domestic abuse.^[7]

Service

After serving in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War (during which time he held the rank of Lieutenant and was awarded the Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal^[8]), Frank became the third generation of Reagans to become a police officer. He began his career as a patrol officer stationed at the 27th Precinct. After three years on patrol, he was promoted to Detective 3rd Grade. Since then, he has served in various positions across the city, culminating in being appointed Police Commissioner.

In the 1970s, Frank led the attempt to apprehend Whitey Brennan, the head of the Westies, at his grandson's baptism. A shootout ensued that left two police officers wounded and four dead, including Whitey's wife and grandson.^[9]

In the early 1980s, Frank served in the Canine Unit as a dog handler. However, he transferred out of the unit after Greta, his partner, was shot and killed by a burglar Frank sent her in after.^[10]

From 1995 to 1999, Frank was the Commanding Officer of the Special Investigations Unit, a special anti-narcotics task force.^[11]

On September 11, 2001, Frank was working in the North Tower when the South Tower collapsed. He spent days at Ground Zero, and took refuge at St. Paul's Chapel, where he and other officers slept in the pews.^[12]

As a "Member Of the Service" (MOS) prior to 1986, Frank continues to carry a revolver (a Colt Official Police "Fitz Special" that originally belonged to his father and grandfather) as his duty weapon.^[13] He also owns a Colt Government Model.^[11] In "Re-Do" (season 1, episode 9), Frank shoots dead a serial rapist who was about to rape and kill Erin.

As police commissioner

Frank was appointed the Police Commissioner by Mayor Frank Russo (Bruce Altman). In 2011, after the election of Carter Poole (David Ramsey), Frank offered to tender his resignation, but Poole decided to keep Frank on as PC.^[14] In 2015, after Mayor Poole's successful reelection, Frank struggled with whether he even wanted to stay on for another four years as PC, assuming the Mayor even asked him to. He ultimately decided to stay for "as long as the Mayor's head was in his ass" (which was remarked as indefinitely).^[15]

Frank has an indifferent attitude towards politics, often taking on the mayor and numerous reporters who misinterpret his actions. He tries hard not to judge people, and tends to purse his lips together when hearing bad news or the horrific details of an ongoing case. He also refuses to play favorites; in season 4, he mentions that he is afraid to recommend Jamie, now with four years on the force, for promotion because it would look like nepotism.^[16]

In 2011, Frank was shot by Kevin Brennan, the son of the former head of the Westies who Frank arrested back in the '70s.^[9]

In 2013, Frank was the target of an assassination attempt by Hector Santiago, a mentally-challenged teenager of the Bitterman housing projects who was tricked by a member of the Los Lordes gang who declared war on the NYPD. During the same shooting, Mayor Poole was left paralyzed.^[17]

In the first season, Frank was well regarded and respected by his officers and his city, to the point where the Mayor felt threatened by his popularity; however, by season 6, public opinion regarding the police – and him personally – changed so drastically that he was booed off-stage while speaking at Columbia University.^[18]

Senior staff

The following officers are among Frank's senior staff who assist him in his duties as the New York City Police Commissioner.

• First Deputy Commissioner – Vincenzo (John Bedford Lloyd)
• Deputy Commissioner, Public Information/de facto Chief of Staff – Garrett Moore (Gregory Jbara)
• Chief of Department – Ed Hines (Ret. 2013)
• Chief of Department – Dino Arbogast (John Ventimiglia) (fired, 2014)
• Special Assistant to the Commissioner – Lt. Sidney Gormley (de facto Chief of Department) (Robert Clohessy)
• Chief of Organized Crime Control – Bureau Chief Dino Arbogast (John Ventimiglia) (promoted in 2013)
• Chief of Intelligence – Bureau Chief Bryce Helfond (Victor Slezak)
• Chief of Gang Division – Deputy Chief Donald Kent (Dennis Haysbert) (promoted to Assistant Chief and then KIA, 2015)
• Primary Aide – Detective 1st Grade Abigail Baker, PC's (Detective) Squad (Abigail Hawk)

List of assignments

The following are Frank's known police assignments.

1. Patrol Officer, NYPD 27th Precinct^[19]
2. Patrol Officer, NYPD 25th Precinct^[20]
3. Detective, NYPD 21st Precinct^[21]
4. Senior Detective, NYPD Homicide^[22]
5. Dog handler, NYPD Canine Unit^[10]
6. Commanding Officer, NYPD Special Investigations Unit^[11]
7. Deputy Chief, NYPD Patrol Borough Brooklyn South^[23]
8. Chief of Department, NYPD^[24](Wears the uniform and shield to Academy graduation.)
9. New York City Police Commissioner^[24]

Partners

Over his career, Frank has had numerous partners.

• Jimmy Burke (Gary Basaraba) – Frank's partner while stationed at the 27th Precinct who took a bullet for him. He was eventually promoted to Inspector and placed in command of the 15th Precinct. While up for a promotion to Deputy Chief as the Deputy Commander of Patrol Borough Manhattan South, it was revealed that he had been cooking the books for his precinct's CompStats. Frank allowed him to retire rather than face demotion to Captain and reassignment to the 128th Precinct in Staten Island.^[19]
• Lenny Ross (Treat Williams) – Frank's partner while stationed at the 25th Precinct; by 2016, Lenny had retired and wrote a book about the bad old days entitled "Back in the Day" detailing their exploits.^[20]
• John McKenna – An NYPD officer who was with Frank during 9/11 who later got sick and died from illness he was exposed to during the attacks.^[25]
• Greta – When assigned to the Canine Unit as a dog handler, Frank's partner was Greta. He transferred out of the unit after Greta was shot and killed by a burglar Frank sent her in after.^[10]

Awards and decorations

The following are the medals and service awards fictionally worn by Commissioner Reagan on his dress uniform.

	American Flag Breast Bar
	World Trade Center Breast Bar
	NYPD Medal of Honor
	NYPD Combat Cross, w/1 gold award star (2nd award)
	NYPD Meritorious Police Duty
	NYPD Excellent Police Duty
	NYPD Unit Citation Bar
	NYPD 1986 Liberty Breast Bar
	NYPD Firearms Expert Bar
	NYPD Award of Merit

References