9 Reasons Why Frank Reagan Is The Ultimate Hero

Police Commissioner Frank Reagan is an accomplished leader and—above all—a family man. After serving as a Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, where he was awarded the Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Frank became the third generation of Reagan police officers.

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

Just two years later, Frank was the target of an assassination attempt by the Los Lordes gang. Though Frank was saved, Mayor Poole was left paralyzed by the shot.

On September 11, 2001, Frank Reagan was working in the North Tower of the World Trade Center when the South Tower collapsed. He spent days at Ground Zero and slept in the pews with his fellow officers at St. Paul’s Chapel.

Frank clearly cares about all creatures. In the early 1980s, Frank served in the K9 Unit. He transferred out after Greta, his K9 partner, was shot and killed by a burglar Frank sent her after.

Frank Reagan holds many awards and accommodations for his service over the years, including:

• The American Flag Breast Bar
• The World Trade Center Breast Bar
• The NYPD Medal of Honor
• The NYPD Combat Cross 
• The NYPD Meritorious Police Duty
• The NYPD Excellent Police Duty
• The NYPD Unit Citation
• The NYPD 1986 Liberty Breast Bar
• The NYPD Award of Merit
• The NYPD Firearms Proficiency Bar

Frank's father, Henry, served as the New York Police Commissioner before him. Now, Frank's entire brood works in law enforcement! His three boys all served as officers, with two becoming detectives. His only daughter, Erin, is a prosecutor with the District Attorney's Office.

Joe, Frank's oldest, was a detective with the NYPD Warrants Squad. He was murdered by his partner, Sonny Malevsky, who was the leader of a corrupt gang of police officers called the Blue Templar.

When Danny and Maria were submitted to receive medals of valor, Frank was hesitant to decorate his own son because of the optics. He didn't want anybody to suspect nepotism or bring unwarranted scrutiny against himself and the rest of the family. While discussing the situation with his own father, Frank found out that Henry had also declined to give him the same medal in 1988—for the exact same reason.

After much deliberation, Frank decided that his son shouldn’t be punished for his relationship when he rightly deserved the medal. After the ceremony, the family sat down to dinner, where Danny took the medal off of his neck, placed it on his father’s, and Henry stood to read the speech he wish he had read back in 1988. Whatever the official record might reflect, there was no question that Frank had earned it.

Because Jamie Reagan was working undercover when he saved a baby from a burning building, Frank honored his son's partner, Rizzoli, instead. All parties involved knew that the decision was to keep Jamie’s cover and that, while Rizzoli wore the medal around his neck, Jamie was the true hero.