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Mayor Carter Poole
- Played by David Ramsey
Mayor of New York starting in season 2.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: One of the reasons he has a soft spot for Frank is that when he was a kid and Frank was just a patrol officer, Frank used to leave the basketball courts in his neighborhood open so he and his friends could play whenever they wanted, and while Frank doesn't remember him, he would also make the time to coach the kids.
- Character Tics: He scratches the back of his head when he's bluffing.
- Commuting on a Bus: Shows up less often from Season 4 onwards due to his actor being a series regular on Arrow as John Diggle. He still plays a crucial role in the plot though, and his scenes with Frank are typically some of the most crucial in the episodes where he appears.
- The Complainer Is Always Wrong: He gets saddled with this trope a lot. He may think the NYPD needs reforming, while Frank is more than happy to point out that things at the NYPD are just fine.
- Heroic BSoD: Considers tendering his resignation after remarks he made about the recent police shooting of a teenager armed with a knife led to a cop being shot in what appeared to be a retaliation attack. Frank talks him out of it.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's somewhat of a mix of President Barack Obama and Newark, New Jersey mayor Corey Booker. The Obama comparisons are noted early on when Henry notes that Poole was previously a "community organizer", a phrase frequently thrown around during Obama's 2008 presidential campaign to describe some of his earlier work. The Booker comparisons come from Poole's status as a young, personable, media-savvy African-American mayor of a major city in the northeastern United States (indeed, as a neighbor in the Tri-State Area, Newark is just on the other side of the Hudson from New York City, and there's frequent New Jersey Transit, Amtrak and PATH train service between the two).
- Opt Out: At the end of Season 7 he tells Frank he's resigning his position because he's emotionally drained from having to console people whose loved ones have been victims of violent crimes.
- Put on a Bus: Resigns as Mayor during the Season 7 finale.
- Our Presidents Are Different: More like Our Mayors Are Different. He's a Mayor Personable/Mayor Minority combo.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Seems to work pretty well with Frank, too, though politics puts them at cross-purposes once in a while.
- Sleazy Politician: Downplayed. He is not very sleazy but he does think like a politician and sometimes cuts corners in morality especially in the eyes of the more straitlaced Frank. Also he sometimes thinks too much about Nepotism toward his original constituents rather then thinking in terms of the whole city. In a way he is a more modernized and respectable version of a traditional New York City ward boss. Indeed, at the beginning of the Season 3 finale "This Way Out", as the angry crowd at the town hall meeting says some harsh things about NYPD policy (much to Frank's chagrin), Mayor Poole is seen coolly analyzing the situation and very obviously thinking about how to placate his constituents. He then starts giving a rather politiciany speech, beginning "Now, I as a child of the projects myself, completely understand your frustration..." causing the audience members to groan, only to get shot mid-speech. Still, although Frank doesn't like to hear it, Mayor Poole does need political popularity and influence in order to help Frank in certain situations. The most sleazy thing he's done is in Season 6, where due to Frank's bad publicity he drags his feet on whether to keep him on as the PC.
Manhattan District Attorney Amanda Harris
- Played by Amy Morton
Erin's boss, the District Attorney of the Borough of Manhattan, through seasons 3 and 4.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: You don't want to be on her bad side.
- Corrupt Bureaucrat: It turns out that she's got a long-standing deal with a high profile madam who has her people seduce high profile New Yorkers and get them on tape so that Amanda can blackmail them whenever she needs a favor. When Erin finds out and confronts her, Amanda calls Erin stupid for not being on board with this, and threatens her. It doesn't work.
- Foreshadowing: Back in season 3, it comes to Erin's attention that she withheld evidence that could have had a big impact on the outcome of a case she was prosecuting, and her reaction when Erin confronts her about it is essentially "I know the guy was guilty, so I didn't need to show evidence that could have implied he wasn't, now stop being naive," making it clear that morals don't mean much to her. End of season 4, she gets arrested for being an actual crook - running a lengthy blackmail scheme.
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: She threatens Erin's career when Erin confronts her on her corruption, but gets arrested in the end, ironically by the very same pair of district attorney investigators she'd been tricking into doing her bidding earlier in the episode. The look of shock on her face is priceless.
- Iron Lady
- The Mentor: To Erin. She nurtures Erin's talent and notes "Y'know, it wasn't easy getting to where I am, but you know how I did it? In every job along the way, I made myself indispensible. The boss knew I had their back. And now I'm looking for people who can do the same for me. People who want a future in this office. People like you, Erin."
- Subverted at the end of her arc, in the most gut-wrenching way possible. Erin is disgusted to discover that Amanda has been conspiring for years to entrap and blackmail lots of people of major influence, like high-level cops, politicians, pro athletes, and various celebrities, in order to guarantee their assistance whenever she needs it (whether this assistance is solely for cases or possibly for darker, personal reasons is left open to speculation). When Erin confronts her on it, Amanda—her mentor—replies "Oh you stupid, stupid child," in the most chillingly calm voice ever, breaking Erin's heart. She then goes to give her a horrifying Breaking Speech, including parts where she mocks Erin, saying "You waltzed in here like a glamorous model posing for a statue of Justice," and goes on to claim that she tried to show Erin how to really get things done, and then threatens Erin's career.
- She Who Fights Monsters: Maybe. It's possible that she might have started out with good intentions, and that she really did do what she did to guarantee that she could put bad guys away; the problem is that in the process, she became a bad guy herself.
- Two First Names: Either "Amanda" or "Harris" can be used as a first name.
Manhattan DA Robert Mccoy
- Played by Holt McCallany
Amanda Harris's replacement after she is arrested for her prostitution scandal.
- Corrupt Bureaucrat: Just like Amanda, but for different reasons. Erin gets suspicious about McCoy's actions around the handling of a Riker's Island corrections officer who pled guilty to drugs possession. After she finds out that the officer in question was one of several involved in a drug trafficking ring at Riker's, she finds that McCoy has been trying to cover up the scandal to protect the head of the NYDOC, who was a friend of his father's. Erin convinces him to turn himself in and resign.
- Introduction by Hookup: He's originally introduced a defense attorney who meets Erin at a speed-dating session her girlfriends convinced her to attend. They start dating at the end of the episode, but break up after the Corrupt Bureaucrat thing above.
Noble Sanfino
- Played by Eric Morris
While in plainclothes at a bar during the Season 2 premiere, Jamie Reagan saved a young man's life from an accidental overdose. The guy turned out to be Noble Sanfino, the heir to a major crime syndicate. OCCB parlayed Jamie's brownie points into an undercover assignment for the rookie cop.
- Contract on the Hitman: When Noble's associates figure out that Jamie was a spy, his own uncle puts out a hit on them both.
- Evil Virtues: Gratitude to Jamie. Ironically this turns out to be his Fatal Flaw.
- Ironic Name: A gangster named Noble?
Inspector General Kelly Peterson
- Played by Bebe Neuwirth
The new Inspector General as of Season 4.
- The Ace: A tough-talking Jersey Girl who made a name for herself fighting crime, through the legal system, in Newark, eventually rising to become the Essex County Prosecutor. She also shows herself to be a pretty skilled markswoman, as seen when Frank takes her to the shooting range.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Often at odd with Frank, but it's obvious they still have feelings.
- I Love You Because I Can't Control You: It's heavily implied that she and Frank end up feeling this way about each other by the end of her arc. Each of them recognizes the necessary tension that their jobs require them to have in order to make sure that both sides are given a fair hearing, and although they often butt heads and argue, they come to genuinely admire and respect each other for being honestly passionate about their ideals. Humorously noted in one episode when Kelly threatens to subpoena Frank and even get him arrested if he doesn't cooperate with one of her investigations into something Frank deems classified informationnote ; Frank asks "Would you really throw me in jail?", to which Kelly responds "Yes....but with a heavy heart." Indeed, the reason she eventually quits her job is because she doesn't think she can keep up the adversarial nature her job requires that she have towards Frank...and it's heavily implied that it's because she's fallen for him.
- Joisey: A native New Jerseyan, Kelly made her way up the ranks of the Newark DA's office, and was the lead prosecutor in the Essex County, New Jersey court system before she accepted the position of NYPD Inspector General.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Sometimes can come across as a hard case, but her heart's in the right place.
- Old Flame: With Frank.
- Put on a Bus: She quits at the end of the season because (paraphrasing her words) her job requires her to have an adversarial relationship with the PC, and she realizes she likes Frank too much. In her words, her job requires her to be antagonistic towards the Commissioner, or at least neutral. She says she's "supposed to be Switzerland"...but instead "I'm Bay Ridge" (Frank's neighborhood). She admits "I root for you, Frank."
- Real Life Writes the Plot: Shortly after leaving Blue Bloods, Bebe Neuwirth became a series regular on Madam Secretary.
- Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: When she's Frank's antagonist.
Anthony Abetemarco
- Played by Steve Schirripa
A former NYPD detective now working as a DA Investigator who assists Erin with her cases.
- Alliterative Name: Anthony Abetemarco.
- Big Brother Instinct: While he and Erin are around the same age, he occasionally acts like an older brother to her via lighthearted teasing. But if Erin is ever upset or in danger, Anthony gets angry and will do everything in his power to either cheer her up or protect her.
- Book Dumb: He may occasionally confuse the word "statute" with "statue," but Anthony is a very savvy investigator, to the point that he can keep up with Danny Reagan. On rare occasions, Danny will even (grudgingly) admit as much.
- When pursuing an investigation at a dive bar, Erin mutters that she didn’t go to college to party, while Anthony says he never went to college and learned everything he knows from "joints just like this." When Erin snarks that it explains a lot, Anthony replies, "Yeah, it does."
- Category Traitor: According to Danny, he’s a sellout for taking a job at the DA’s office.
- Deadpan Snarker: Oh so much.
- Knight in Sour Armor: Downplayed, but he’s a jaded career cop who’s also a big softy at heart.
- Like Brother and Sister: He has this dynamic with Erin—they're the best of friends and clearly love each other, though it's strictly platonic on both ends. It's especially funny because Erin already has two brothers, but her relationship with Anthony is occasionally better than the ones she has with Danny and Jamie.
- Momma's Boy: In "Good Cop Bad Cop," he's determined to find a legal solution for his Alzheimer's-riddled mother when she becomes a con victim.
- Papa Wolf: Threaten Anthony’s teenage daughter, and he will hunt you down. His marriage may have ended on a bad note, but Anthony is still quite protective of his ex-wife as well.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He and Danny do not get along any time they have to cooperate on a case. Which makes it all the more hilarious when they agree on nearly everything.
- Undying Loyalty: Considers Erin his best friend. Jack finds out that toying with her emotions is a great way to get on Anthony’s bad side.
- Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Part of the snark he occasionally dishes out at Erin's expense when he feels she's getting bossy, since she's higher up than him.
The Reverend Darnell Potter
- Played by Ato Essandoh
A spotlight-loving black pastor who frequently clashes with the NYPD and Frank in particular over race issues, including leveling accusations of Police Brutality.
- Arch-Enemy: To Frank, or the closest thing he has to one.
- Enemy Mine: Downplayed with Frank in one episode where both of them are not happy that a white supremacist radio host is doing a show in New York (although he and Frank still disagree on how best to deal with the situation; Potter would rather side with the mayor and shut down the show, while Frank would prefer to let the show go on).
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Potter may not be "evil" per se but it's clear he has a corrupt side. In various meetings, it's obvious Potter refuses to believe Frank isn't driven by racism and a wish to always protect dirty cops and thinks they're engaged in political games, unaware of how much Frank hates that. More importantly, Potter can't accept that Frank will always put public interests and others before his own image and standing as Potter would never do the same.
- Expy: He's essentially a (slightly) less extreme, Baptist version of Louis Farrakhan.
- As noted below, he's also an Expy of the Rev. Al Sharpton. Henry has compared him to Malcolm X on occasion, as well.
- Hypocrite: Crossed with his Never My Fault tendencies. In Rush to Judgement, he lists several examples where the Reagan’s were not held accountable for their actions, yet due to his status, neglects that he had orchestrated the events. He falls into this completely when he loses his son in a shooting, and begins to employ the brutal methods he repeatedly accuses and accosts Danny for, who promptly calls him out on.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Ultimately mellows out toward the Reagans during the investigation of his son's murder, even inviting them to the funeral.
- Karma Houdini: The man is blatantly corrupt and is involved with shady characters. It's rather impressive he hasn't been arrested himself for some of his antics in the episodes where he appearsnote , though it's implied that the NYPD is wary of giving him ammunition.
- In his first appearance in "Black and Blue" he creates a confrontation with the NYPD by having a friend make a 911 call at his church and then having some of his parishioners screw with the responding officers, who happen to be Jamie Reagan and Sgt. Renzulli. Jamie and Renzulli get knocked down the stairs by some large black men. Jamie gets some cuts to his face, and Renzulli gets hospitalized with a concussion
- In "Excessive Force" he basically pays off an immigrant family to keep quiet about the fact that a suspect is lying about Danny throwing him out a third-story window during his arrest.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: Eventually loses his son in a shooting, forcing Potter to finally eat some humble pie regarding his dealings with the Reagans.
- Malcolm Xerox: Rev. Darnell Potter is a fairly transparent Straw Political of the Rev. Al Sharpton. Not only is he a demagogue, an accessory to murder, a crook, a hatemonger and a liar, he's waging a motiveless war on the NYPD to boot: He has never once managed to make a truthful accusation of Police Brutality on-screen, but that hasn't stopped him from jumping on anything he thinks he could twist into one (or one he could create). In his first appearance, he can quote Malcolm X by heart, but is apparently unfamiliar with anything Martin Luther King ever said. The thing that really seals the deal, though? Danny Reagan really is guilty of multiple counts of excessive force and has even tortured suspects for information, but somehow Potter has never caught him at a legitimate policy violation.
- Papa Wolf: When his son is murdered, Revered Potter takes every single legal and borderline illegal mean to find the culprit.
- Sinister Minister: He claims to be a man of God, but he's really just interested in the position for the political power it gives him over the Black community.
- Straw Hypocrite: He claims he is defending the black communities, but it is quite clear to anyone that has spent more than a minute with him he is just manipulating the black community for his own needs.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Mayor Poole. Poole broke it off when Potter's shady dealings came to light.
Javier "Javi" Baez
- Played by Kirk Acevedo
Maria Baez' older brother, a heroin addict who's caused nothing but trouble for the family since he was a teenager.
- Big Brother Instinct: Maria is upset that the brother who's now involved in crime used to be the guy defending her from "all those bullies when we were kids." Although she has trouble trusting him, Javi is actually still trying to protect her.
- Descent into Addiction: A key part of his backstory. This, along with his slide into criminal behavior, is what drove his family away. Now he's desperately trying to prove to them, particularly Maria, that he's clean again and no longer a criminal.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The foolish one, to Maria's responsible one.
- The Informant: For the DEA and then the NYPD. When Maria and Danny force him to reveal this, he laments that this is the "first time in [his] life" that he's done something that he thinks Maria will be proud of.
- Knight Templar Big Brother: Unusually, it's not in a way that's harmful to others, but to himself: he's so desperate to show his little sister that he still loves her and to let her know that he's redeemed himself that he repeatedly goes to insanely dangerous, self-sacrificing lengths to prove that he's not a criminal anymore.
- I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine: Kirk Acevedo previously co-starred with Donnie Wahlberg (who plays Danny) in Band of Brothers.
- Recovered Addict
- Redemption Equals Death: After getting clean, he turns snitch for the department and helps them land a big drug bust, but throws himself in front of a submachine gun during the raid to protect Maria.
- Stupid Sacrifice: His manner of death is kind of like Taking the Bullet for Superman: Maria is the one with the Bulletproof Vest on. Quite likely he wasn't thinking too clearly, though.
- Taking the Bullet: Dies taking a bullet for Maria.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Although Javi is the older sibling, he now desperately wants to regain Maria's approval, due to his fall from grace.
Jack Boyle
Played by: Peter Hermann
Erin's ex-husband and Nicky's father.
- Amicable Exes: Downplayed with his ex-wife Erin Reagan. They're reasonable but rather curt with each other, and the first time we meet him, Jack wonders why Erin still has her married name "Reagan-Boyle" on her door. She says it's the same reason people who have lost weight keep a "before" picture. Ouch. However, they still care for each other.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Part of the reason Jack helped Danny in his case was because back when he and Erin were getting a divorce, Danny was the only adult of the family to not rush to judgement on Jack during his divorce with Erin.
- Disappeared Dad: To Nicky. She knows exactly where her dad is, but he usually takes little-to-no interest in his daughter's life. Erin and the rest of the Reagans are not amused. Henry refuses to shake Nicky's father's hand when they run into him at a party, and Frank bluntly tells him "You walked away from two of the most wonderful women I've ever known."
- The Friend Nobody Likes: An extended family variant and justified. Due to his actions after the divorce (including moving away and not keeping in contact with his daughter), Jack is not very well liked by the adults in the Reagan family (although his nephews, Jack and Sean, are both excited to see him when he returns to New York).
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite being a neglectful father to Nicky, Jack does care for his daughter and in one episode he protected Erin when one of his clients attempted to use her as a bargaining chip.
- Manchild: Deconstructed. Erin accurately points out that Jack only wants the fun and exciting parts of a relationship, but doesn't want to get into anything serious. This trait has lead him to neglect Nicky and was a main factor in why he and Erin didn't get back together after their one-night stand.
- Parental Neglect: He doesn't take any interest in Nicky's life. Although, it's more out of selfishness than being an outright jerkass.
- Pet the Dog: When Danny gets framed for drug possession, Henry approaches Jack and has him defend Danny. After he is cleared, Jack only charges Danny a single dollar.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: To Nicky and it's more like, "When you coming to visit and spend time with me, dad?"
Assistant Attorney General Robert Lewis
Played By: Michael Imperioli
A state level prosecutor who's fixated with accusations of misconduct in the NYPD and making life hell for the Reagan family.
- Arc Villain: In Season 7, where he launches an unprovoked witch hunt into the NYPD with the explicit aim of getting Frank removed as Police Commissioner.
- Bait-and-Switch: In his first appearance he was just doing his job reopening the case involving Danny's shooting of serial killer Thomas Wilder because new evidence had come to light (Wilder had taped every phone conversation he had with Danny). In his second appearance he shows himself to be a nasty bit of work, launching a witch hunt in the NYPD.
- Jerkass: Openly disrespectful to Frank calling him an "Old Dinosaur" and launches an investigation into NYPD brutality simply because Frank refused to publicly support his witch hunt, even though Frank had been cooperating with him and giving him data to determine whether such an investigation is warranted.
- Two First Names: Either "Robert" or "Lewis" can be used as a first name.
