Frank Cooper grew up on Springfield's 5th Street and raised his younger sister, Harley, ever since the death of their father and their mother's desertion. Since they had no parents (only their grandfather, Pops, who had immigrated from Greece to America and opened the Diner), they were forced to depend on each other. When Harley became pregnant, it was Frank who took care of her and made sure she was comfortable and safe. When introduced in 1987, Frank was working as a car mechanic in order to raise his sister. Though an honorable man, he was poor, so he let himself be convinced by George Stewart to chop cars for him in order to get some extra cash. George would steal the cars, once even stealing Henry Chamberlain's Bentley, and Frank would chop them in his workshop. Later, Frank decided to stop chopping cars but George blackmailed him into continuing by threatening to tell Harley's boyfriend, Cameron, that Harley had given birth to a daughter. What Frank didn't know was that George was also dealing drugs with his partner Nicky Sutton smuggling the drugs into some of the chopped cars. Though George was finally arrested, in 1988, D.A. Ross Marler helped Frank by not placing him under arrest. After that incident Frank decided to clean up his business for good. About this time Nadine returned to town but, unlike Harley, it would take Frank a long time to forgive her for deserting the family. At the same time, he opened a detective-agency with partner Rusty Shayne.

After an unsuccessful relationship with Mindy Lewis in 1989, Frank fell in love with Dana Jones. Though most people in town disliked Dana because she had impersonated the presumed-dead Beth Raines, Frank stood by her side and they moved in together. In February 1990, Frank and Dana got engaged despite the fact that Nadine believed that Dana only wanted money and the Diner from Frank. Around this time a "fan" stalked Chelsea Reardon and Johnny Bauer and, of course, Dana became the prime suspect when all the evidence pointed to her. Despite her claims of innocence, Frank wasn't so sure and they broke up. Later, Dana discovered the stalker's identity but before she could tell Frank or the police, the stalker killed her. Distraught and feeling guilty, Frank vowed to get the stalker, so he helped the police and Johnny and Chelsea. Despite Frank's efforts to protect Chelsea, the stalker kidnapped her anyway: it was her old friend Rae Rooney, who hated Chelsea because of her brother who adored Chelsea and finally committed suicide. Fortunately, Frank and Johnny arrived in time to save Chelsea and to arrest Rae. Not long after, Frank would grieve over losing his beloved Pops who died in a fire on 5th Street. Soon after, he became attracted to Chelsea after Johnny left her but he wasn't able to admit his feelings for her. To Frank's disappointment, Chelsea then left town to focus on her singing career, without ever learning about Frank's feelings for her.

After years of looking for love, Frank finally found it with Greek immigrant, Eleni Andros, who was brought over by Frank's uncle Stavros as a bride for Frank in April 1991. Frank didn't appreciate his uncle's actions however and was very antagonistic toward Eleni at first. However, when Frank had to close his detective agency because of lack of business, Eleni convinced him to focus more on the diner and they grew closer. Then one day, when Eleni planned an intimate dinner with Frank, he ended up having it with Blake Thorpe. Unfortunately for Frank, Alan-Michael Spaulding took advantage of the situation and whisked Eleni away on the Spaulding Yacht. Frank realized his mistake and wanted to make it up to Eleni so, without her knowledge, he hired an immigration lawyer. He also confessed his love for Eleni to his friend Mallet. Eleni however was still under the impression that Frank was dating Blake so she continued to date Alan-Michael, who continued to sleep with Blake though his feelings for Eleni were growing. Thanks to the lawyer that Frank hired, Eleni was given a three-month extension on her visa. Unfortunately, she was under the mistaken impression that Alan-Michael had hired the lawyer. Frank, who had yet to proclaim his love for Eleni, decided to show his love by buying a house and then fixing it up for them to live in once they were married. About this time, Alan-Michael's aunt, Alexandra, hired Frank to find her ex-lover, Eric Luvonaczek, in Paris, in hopes of proving that Nick McHenry was her son.

Unfortunately this was when Alan-Michael made his move. He suggested to Eleni that she follow Frank to Paris using the Spaulding Jet, but when she arrived she found a hooker named Musette in Frank's bed, who had been planted there by Alan-Michael. Heartbroken, Eleni returned to the United States but learned that she could not re-enter because she was an illegal alien. Alan-Michael offered to marry her right there in the customs office and make her his legal wife. Meanwhile Frank returned to the United States to put the finishing touches on their house.When Eleni told Frank that she was married to Alan-Michael, a devastated Frank destroyed the house he built and had sex with Blake. In 1992, Frank saved Eleni and Stavros when they were caught in a fire at the diner and later, during the blackout, he joined Alan-Michael in a search to find Eleni. They eventually found her in the cooler in the diner. Believing that he could never compete with Alan-Michael's money and power, he told Eleni that he still loved her but would not interfere in their marriage. Not long after, Stavros gave Frank a letter from Musette (who was injured in an unauthorized bombing by Alan-Michael's henchman) detailing how Alan-Michael had used her to break up Frank and Eleni. Frank confronted Alan-Michael but decided not to show the letter to Eleni since he believed that she really loved Alan-Michael. At this point, Alan-Michael was starting get nervous so he switched Eleni's birth control pills with placebos knowing that she would never leave him if she were pregnant. Eventually Eleni found Musette's letter, and she was so devastated that she made love to Frank.

Eleni was ready to end her marriage to Alan-Michael when she discovered that her mother had a stroke, so she rushed to Greece with Alan-Michael following her. When Eleni was zoned out on sleeping pills she slept with Alan-Michael. The next day she decided she needed some time alone and went to a remote island where Frank tracked her down and they made love again. Eventually, Eleni learned the truth about the bombing and went running to Frank. She soon found out that she was pregnant and, thinking it was Alan-Michael's child, she and Frank made plans to escape and never tell Alan-Michael about the child. Unfortunately, Alan-Michael learned about the baby from Dr. Margaret Sedwick and, fearing that he would take the baby away after its birth, Eleni left Frank and stayed with Alan-Michael. In February 1993, Eleni found the placebos and when she learned that the child was not Alan-Michael's but Frank's after all, she followed Frank to Malaysia where he went to search for a missing Alexandra. Alan-Michael tracked them down together and finally let Eleni go. Finally free, Frank and Eleni wanted to marry but hadn't enough money for a big wedding. Luckily, a mysterious man paid for the wedding and Frank and Eleni married on 5th Street. That same night, Eleni gave birth to their daughter, Marina Nadine. About this time the mysterious man was revealed by Mallet to be Frank's father, Buzz. Frank was shocked to learn did not die a hero a Vietnam, but had actually deserted his family after being discharged; because of this, Frank felt betrayed and it took him a long time to get over his resentment.

At this time, Marina was diagnosed with a hearing problem which could only be fixed by an expensive operation. Since Frank had asked Eleni to give back the money she got from Alan-Michael, they could not afford the operation, so Frank contacted his former chop-shop partner, Jonesy about conducting a robbery. Buzz stopped Frank from going through with it, and protected Frank from Jonesy when he came after him for backing out. Finally, Buzz blackmailed Jenna for money to pay for the surgery. At this time, Mallet and Harley left for Florida as husband and wife and Frank offered to let Mallet's sister, Julie Camaletti, move in with him and Eleni. However, in 1994, Julie became infatuated with Frank and tricked Eleni into thinking that Frank was attracted to her. When Eleni turned to Alan-Michael for comfort, Frank wrote Eleni a letter but Alan-Michael intercepted it. However Alan-Michael soon told Eleni about the letter and let her go, Eleni went back to Frank. Though their marriage suffered because of his objections to her new career as a caterer, they found a way to settle their differences and their marriage remained solid.

In 1995, after Frank and Eleni lost their house in the second 5th Street fire, Frank traveled to Greece to save Eleni from the man (Christos Temos) she was promised to as a child. When Christos attempted to kill Frank, Christos's sister rescued him, ending the family feud and the couple returned to their life in Springfield. About this time, Frank decided to follow his sister's example and become a police officer. Soon, he became a well-respected member of the Springfield PD and was regarded as one of the most dependable, least corruptible people in town. At this time, Frank's little sister, Lucy, was raped by psycho Brent Lawrence and Frank and Buzz were able to get him out of town. Unfortunately, Brent would later reappear as a woman named Marian Crane. Frank didn't know her true identity but suspected that Marian had murdered rapist Lucky Fowler. When the body of a Jane Doe (also killed by Marian) was found in January 1996, Frank was shocked to recognize her as Nadine. Devastated and angry, Frank vowed to get revenge. When Brent/ Marion finally kidnapped Lucy and Alan-Michael to the Lighthouse and Alan-Michael was able to overpower Brent, Brent was in danger of falling to his death over the balcony but an angry and amused Frank saved and arrested him. Later, Frank was promoted to detective.

In 1997, Jenna Bradshaw was back in town and Frank helped Buzz at his request to investigate Jenna's husband, Jeffery Morgan. In addition, Buzz wanted to prove that Jeffery had temporarily kidnapped Coop, so Frank let the manager open Jeffrey's apartment and he and Buzz found Coop's toy bunny as proof. Not long after, Eleni suddenly announced that she needed to go to Greece to take care of her sick grandmother, Ya-Ya, while Buzz announced that he had to visit a Vietnam War buddy. When Eleni refused to let Frank take her to the airport, Frank became suspicious since he had already discovered that she had packed a sexy dress. Later, Frank called Ya-Ya in Greece to speak to Eleni and was shocked to learn she wasn't there. Ya-Ya warned him that his marriage could be in terrible trouble, so Frank stormed out-- intent to find Eleni. He tracked her and Buzz down in their hotel room in Switzerland. After the pair told Frank that they were impersonating Jenna and Jeffery Morgan in order to get the evidence against Jenna from a safe deposit box in a bank, Frank handcuffed them together until Eleni calmed him down. Months later, when Buzz temporarily lost his memory after Nola Reardon stalked him, Frank and the family helped him to remember about his life.

In 1998, Detective Teri DeMarco from the Detroit PD became Frank's partner and they soon became attracted to each other. Though Frank tried to fight his attraction for Teri, they shared a kiss one day. Meanwhile, Frank and Teri investigated in the case of Annie Dutton who was arrested by Frank months earlier but was able to escape. Although there were some doubts, thanks to DNA tests, Annie was declared dead. In 1999, Josh and Reva Lewis told Frank that Teri was actually Annie! Apparently, the real Teri was in a coma in a hospital in the Florida Keys after an accident. Frank refused to believe it. Not long after, Josh and Reva found the real Teri in Annie's suite and Frank accused Reva of trying to kill Terri. Frank wouldn't realize the truth until Teri woke up and recognized her brother, George, but didn't remember anything about Springfield. An angry Frank vowed to get Annie for destroying Teri's life and making him look like a fool. Finally, when Josh and Reva were able to lock Annie and Teri in the same room at the hospital, Frank arrested Annie. During Annie's trial, Annie's lawyer, Ben Warren, tried to make it look as if Frank wanted revenge on Annie for Annie dumping him. Eleni ran out of the courtroom since she doubted Frank's love for her and was angry that he didn't tell her about the relationship.

Meanwhile, Frank and David Grant tried to bring the Santos mafia down by David working undercover. Unfortunately, they didn't succeed and, when Ben was murdered, Frank was forced to arrest Michelle Santos as the prime suspect but on Christmas Eve, he let Michelle stay home with her husband Danny at his own risk. David knew about that and, in February 2000, when David testified at the murder trial, he had to confess what Frank had done and Frank was temporarily suspended from the police force. When Vanessa awoke from her coma and confessed her and Carmen Santos' involvement in Ben's death, Frank arrested Carmen. In the meantime, Frank and Eleni separated since they stopped communicating with each other. Too proud to tell his family about his problems, Frank kept quiet for months before he confessed all to Buzz, including the fact that Eleni and Marina were in Los Angeles. Not long after, a grieving Frank would learn from Harley that Eleni was dating another man. After he visited Eleni, he returned alone and announced that she and Marina would stay in LA. As a result, Frank and Eleni divorced.

Later, Frank and Rick vied for the attentions of May Merisi. Although it seemed as if May preferred Rick, she ended up with neither man when, in 2001, she was uncovered as FBI agent Mary Murto who was spying on the Santos family. Later, when Frank learned that Marina was expelled from school in L.A., he considered bringing her home to live with him. But before he got the chance, Eleni suddenly returned with the news that Marina went missing. In January 2002, she and Frank hashed out the reasons for their breakup (she felt she and Marina were being unappreciated by a workaholic husband) and revealed that the man she'd left Frank for, Cain, had quickly begun neglecting her as much as Frank did, leading to their own breakup. Eleni also expressed some regret over leaving Frank and Springfield, but he didn't exactly welcome her back with open arms. However, he did decide that he and Eleni had to work together to help their daughter. After Marina was found, she was happy to see Frank again but was dismayed to see her mother. To Marina's dismay, Frank invited Eleni to stay with him and they considered reuniting for Marina's sake while Marina continued to rebel.

At the same time, Frank had plans to do a police raid at Infierno due to illegal card games. Unfortunately, Marina overheard Frank's plans and warned Romeo Jones, co-owner of the Infierno so an angry Frank wasn't able to prove anything. Thanks to a photo of the scene of the crime, he realized that Marina was there during the raid and warned Romeo to stay away from Marina. Meanwhile, Frank and Eleni finally decided that they couldn't resolve their problems and when Eleni returned to California, Frank was left alone to cope with Marina. At this time, as Frank was dealing with his dislike of his new colleague and Harley's new love, Gus Aitoro, and was horrified when Marina was caught almost naked in Gus's hotel room. He demanded that Chief Franklin temporarily suspend Gus from the police force and learned through an investigation about Gus's juvenile record. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get Gus's files, so Phillip offered to help him. While Frank failed to convince Harley to dump Gus, Marina confessed that she set Gus up. The family was furious at her and Frank apologized to Gus. However, the damage was done and when Phillip learned from Gus's juvenile record that he had killed a man, he sued Harley for custody of Zach. In the wake of Phillip's custody battle, Harley tried to clear her and Gus's name while Frank helped her.

On the professional front, Frank was involved in the investigation into Reva Lewis's stalking, in early 2003, and became Chief of Police that spring when Chief Franklin retired. As the Chief, he was the one who demanded that Gus be thrown off the force for reckless endangerment after Harley was accidentally shot. Though that decision was overturned, Frank decreed that Harley and Gus could no longer be partners, a decision that led to Harley quitting the force. Meanwhile, to Frank's dismay, Marina began dating the older Ben Reade. Not long after, Frank's concerns about Ben were realized the night of Ramona Hendon's murder when Ben was discovered to be an employee of Eden August's Escort Service. Soon others connected to Eden started dying and Ben became one of the prime suspects. Though a repulsed Marina broke up with Ben when she learned that he worked as a male escort, Ben became obsessed with Marina and tried on more than one occasion to confront her. Frank's efforts to protect Marina almost failed when she was taken hostage by Ben! Luckily on a tip from her new boyfriend, Shayne Lewis, Frank found the pair and persuaded a mentally unbalanced Ben to let Marina go--which he did before injecting himself with a lethal dose of medication.

In the midst of the serial killer investigation, Frank began dating Darci Matthews, a woman he met at Company. Though she initially told him that he never knew Eden (another suspect in the serial killing case), later at the Bauer Barbeque, he realized that she lied to him--Darci was an employee of Eden's. Confronted, she was forced to tell him the truth--she only went out with him because Eden wanted to distract Frank from the investigation. Though angry, when Darci begged his forgiveness by stating that she enjoyed his company and was staying with him now because she wanted to, he forgave her. However, one person had reservations about the relationship - D.A. Jeffrey O'Neill. Jeffrey told Darci he knew about her past as an employee of New York mobster Vinnie Salerno and warned her that any connection to Salerno could hurt Frank. Though Jeffrey wanted her to help him arrest Salerno, Darci declined. Later that fall, she and Frank finally made love. Afterwards, Darci confessed to Frank that while she may have worked for Eden, she was never an escort. She confessed to setting up men for blackmail, but there was never sex involved. After her admission, Frank told her that her past didn't matter. Later on Thanksgiving, Frank asked Darci to move in with him.

In 2004, Frank investigated a Spaulding connection to the Antimonious drug ring. Even though Spaulding executive Brad Green was found guilty of helping to smuggle the drug to the mob, Frank was convinced that he had an accomplice, who he believed was Alexandra. At the same time he was delving into the Antimonious case, Frank decided to make Darci a permanent part of his life and asked Darci to marry him. Thrilled, she said yes but confessed to him that she was indeed a prostitute for Salerno and also told him what she knew about Brad and Alex, namely that they traveled together. His suspicions strengthened, Frank investigated Alex in earnest. Almost immediately after, Frank found himself under investigation after someone accused him of being Brad Green's accomplice. When evidence was found in Frank's suitcase, he was suspended from the force. Angry and bitter, Frank could barely contain his contempt for the Spauldings, Alex in particular. Finally the day of Harley and Gus's wedding, things finally came to a head when Frank went to the Beacon's wine cellar to get the wine. There he spotted a surveillance camera and realized that the entire money-drop off was taped! Securing the tape for the night the sting went down, Frank watched it and was horrified by what he saw. For not only was Alexandra Brad's accomplice, but Gus knew about it ever since the night of the sting!

Not knowing what to do, Frank went to the Spaulding house, where the wedding was to take place, and showed Buzz the tape. Completely incredulous, Buzz refused to believe it and tried to find a reasonable explanation, but Frank pointed out that the tape was straightforward, Alex was guilty and Gus knew about it. Although Frank was torn about whether or not to tell Harley, Buzz believed the best thing would be for her to get married first since he knew this would destroy her. Frank was adamant that Harley should know the truth first, but changed his mind when she suddenly walked into the room. Although Buzz and Frank tried to hide the truth from her, she was on to them and demanded to know what was on the tape. Not able watch Harley's heart be broken, Buzz left the room while Frank showed her the incriminating tape. That day, as Harley was angrily confronting Gus, Frank received a note from Darci telling him she'd left town, too embarrassed about her past to marry him.

Furious, Frank spotted Alan making his way across the courtyard, apologizing to the wedding guests for the delay and attacked Alan and pulled a gun on him - which he wasn't supposed to have because of the suspension. Unfortunately Ross was there to see the whole thing. Although Ross was prepared to focus his investigation on Alex, Frank's actions landed him back in hot water. Meanwhile, Phillip began a twisted game of revenge. Blaming the Coopers for hurting his family, Phillip set out to destroy them--by demolishing Company. Phillip's relentless pursuit of Company, plus his callous taunting finally led Buzz to have a heart attack. Thankfully, Buzz recovered and environmental issues forced Phillip to halt the destruction of Company. Unfortunately, Phillip didn't take well to losing, and in an act of revenge, demolished Harley's house! As the weeks went by, the Coopers were ready to take down Phillip and the Spauldings, however, finally Frank decided he'd had enough and, despite objections from Marina and his brother, Coop, Frank got his job back by apologizing to Alan for his actions at the aborted wedding. As the weeks went back, Phillip became more and more callous in regards to Harley and finally ended up kidnapping her children. Not long after, with a slew of suspects, Phillip wound up dead. When a witness described Phillip's assistant, Ruth Karloff, as being on the scene, she became Frank's number one suspect. However, in the course of the investigation, Frank learned that Company had a brand new security system in place the very day Phillip was killed and the only person who had the code was Buzz.

When Buzz's prints were found on the gun that killed Phillip, Frank had no choice but to arrest his father. Later, the missing Ruth Karloff would surprisingly show up. Apparently drunk in a bar, Ruth confessed to everyone there that she'd killed Phillip. Although some undercover cops tried to arrest her, Ruth escaped. That night, Frank received a report that Ruth was spotted on the bridge. When Frank arrived at the scene, he yelled for Ruth (who was making a videotaped confession) to surrender. At the same time, Gus arrived and kept telling Frank not to fire. Despite Gus's pleas, Frank pulled out his gun and fired a warning shot. Suddenly, Ruth lost her footing and went over the bridge. Though the police searched for Ruth on the rocks below the bridge, the body wasn't found and Ruth was declared dead. With the case apparently closed, Frank released his father. Days later, Frank watched Ruth's videotaped confession and, seeing a familiar scar on Ruth's arm, realized that Ruth Karloff was Harley in disguise! So, on Christmas Day, Frank had no choice but to arrest Harley for Phillip's murder.

In 2005, in addition to dealing with Harley's impending trial, Frank also had to deal with Marina's new relationship with Danny. Although Frank vehemently told the ex-mobster to stay away from his daughter, with the tension escalating into a shoving match during a football game, Marina warned Frank to back off and continued seeing Danny. At Harley's trial, Frank was forced to admit on the stand that he wouldn't have arrested Harley if he hadn't thought she was the murderer. After Harley was sent to jail, Frank was incensed to see a familiar face in Springfield--his former best friend, Mallet! Angry at Mallet's betrayal of Harley years earlier when he cheated on her, Frank was not happy to hear that Mallet was the warden at the state prison. He also shared Gus's suspicion that Mallet got the warden job just to be close to Harley. It didn't take long for Harley to find out that Mallet had written her letters begging for her forgiveness but they never got to her. Figuring out that Frank must have intercepted the letters, she couldn't find it in her to be angry since she knew Frank was trying to spare her pain. As Gus worked to find out who really killed Phillip, Mallet risked his career to hide Harley to prevent her from being transferred to a jail nicknamed Hell Hole. Although Frank tried to dissuade them and convince them to come forward, they both refused. Soon after, the transfer finally went through but the transport bus crashed and Harley was reported killed. Although Buzz identified a body as Harley, he confessed to Frank that he lied: Harley must have escaped with Gus. Though Buzz tried to keep Frank from searching for Harley, Frank had to follow the law.

Meanwhile, by the beginning of summer, Frank surprised Danny by finally accepting his relationship with Marina and telling Danny that he trusted him. Weeks later, Frank got a surprise of his own when Marina announced that she wanted to go into law enforcement. Although Frank tried to discourage her, it was obvious that she really wanted to be a cop and he gave his blessing. In the meantime, Frank was still on the lookout for Harley and finally got a break when someone informed him that Gus was holed up in a hotel at NYC. Although they succeeded in getting Gus, Gus refused to tell them where Harley was. Things finally came to head in July when Harley and Mallet discovered who really killed Phillip--Alan! Cornered at Company, Alan confessed that he shot Phillip and was arrested. Harley was cleared of all charges, while Alan came up with a fantastical story about having faked his death. In the wake of Harley's exoneration, Frank, in gratitude for him helping Harley, offered Mallet a position at the Springfield PD. Later, weeks after he finally married Harley, Gus asked Frank for his job back. Frank complied and partnered Gus with Mallet.

Meanwhile, the inevitable happened--Danny left Marina for Michelle. With Frank and the others rallying behind her, Marina tried to put up a brave front. At the same time, Frank was concerned about any lingering feelings Mallet might have for Harley, although Mallet insisted there were none. Meanwhile, Frank found a depressed Marina trying to avoid her heartache by working and called her on it. However, Marina noted that he did the same. Recognizing that he was lonely (mainly because his father and daughter kept bringing it up) Frank, suddenly decided to ask Olivia Spencer on a date. Unfortunately, he didn't quite make himself clear and Olivia didn't realize it was a date. However, she was a good sport and let him accompany her to a concert. Unfortunately the night was cut short by police business.

In 2006, Frank was on hand to support Harley when Gus suddenly went missing. In the personal front, he continued to date Olivia and clashed with Marina over her dating of Alan-Michael. When Frank tried to dissuade Marina by pointing out that Alan-Michael had been married to two Coopers already, Marina shot back with the fact that Olivia had been married to two Spauldings. Conceding that she had a point, Frank let the matter drop but privately warned Alan-Michael not to hurt Marina or he'd pay. In the meantime, Gus's case had been turned over to the FBI, over Harley's objections. To help Harley, Mallet asked Frank for a leave of absence so he could pursue the case on his own. Frank questioned Mallet's motives, but Mallet insisted that everything was legit. Weeks later, Frank got a call from the FBI regarding Gus and notified Mallet. Although he didn't want Harley to know until he had more information, she found out and arrived at the scene where the limo Gus had been driving crashed. Found in the frozen river were Gus's bloody jacket and wedding ring. Although Harley refused to believe it at first, the consensus was that Gus was dead.

In the meantime, on Valentine's Day, Frank was thrilled when Olivia invited him to spend the night with her at an inn. Unfortunately, Frank misinterpreted the gesture since the entire Cooper family and Josh was also invited. Although the sight of Marina and Alan-Michael making out when the group arrived put a damper on things, when the pair were given separate rooms the night went smoothly. That night, Frank informed Olivia that the lamp didn't work in his room. However, that was just a set up to get Olivia in the room which was filled with candle light and contained a bucket of champagne for them. Frank confessed how much he cared for Olivia and how he believed they could be good together. Olivia was genuinely charmed and responded to his kiss. Unfortunately, their moment was ruined when a smoke detector went off. The next day, Frank asked Olivia for a day and asked Buzz to help him win Olivia's heart since he and Olivia were such good friends. In the meantime, Mallet was back at work and Frank was anxious to assign him a partner--something Mallet was dragging his feet on. Although Frank tried to put pressure Mallet by asking Dinah, now dating Mallet, to withhold sex because her boyfriend was working too hard without a partner--Dinah wouldn't go for it. Then a surprising person volunteered--Harley! Although both Mallet and Frank thought it was a bad idea, Dinah convinced them that it was perfect since both Harley and Mallet would need a partner anyway. Harley then asked Frank to pile on the caseload as heavy as he liked as long as he also let her handle Gus's case.

Meanwhile, Frank overheard an argument between Buzz and Olivia about her hurting Frank and Frank warned his father to lay off. Later, after getting shot, Frank went to Olivia and told her that he wanted her in his life permanently. Meanwhile, the Coopers got a shock when it was discovered that Gus was actually alive and held captive in an abandoned cabin. Relieved when he was rescued, Frank reassigned Gus as Mallet's partner and briefly had Harley reinstated. Meanwhile, Frank confided in Buzz that he was planning to take Olivia back to the inn where "it all started" for them. However, Buzz didn't think that was a great idea. Soon after, Frank went to Olivia's place to pick her up and overheard Buzz and Olivia discussing a tryst they'd had on Valentine's Day at the cabin. Angry, Frank exploded at both of them, asking Buzz why he wasn't honest enough to go after Olivia himself. Although they tried to convince him it was a one time thing, he angrily denounced them both. About a week later, Olivia cornered Frank and dared him to give her a second chance; he agreed. However, he still felt betrayed by Buzz and refused to forgive him. Later, when, Frank was ranting to Harley about Buzz and Olivia, she ordered him to make up with their dad. Pronto. Though Frank tried, it only ended in another fight, which Olivia broke up with a shrill whistle. She then demanded that they make up, to no effect. Weeks later, Olivia again tried to get Frank to forgive his father.This time, Frank tried and admitted that he wanted to reconcile, but needed to know if Buzz still had feelings for Olivia. Buzz says he did-- he cared about her a lot, and would love to see her with his son. Frank then made up with his father, telling him he didn't care if he'd had feelings for Olivia.

Afterwards, Frank asked Olivia to move in with him. Though she turned him down, the pair ended up making love. At the same time, Frank was forced to suspend Gus from the force since he was battling an addiction to pain killers. After days of trying to get himself together, Gus went to Frank about getting his old job back, stating that he'd been clean for over five days. However, Frank didn't quite think that was long enough, suggesting maybe a month. When Frank hedged that he still needed to find a partner for Mallet, Gus thought he had the perfect person—him. However, Mallet overheard and wasn't too keen on that idea since it wasn't too long ago that he'd gotten shot because of Gus. A few weeks later, after Olivia told Frank she wasn't sure when she'd make it to the Bauer Barbecue, he was displeased when she arrived with Buzz on the back of his motorcycle. After he spotted Olivia and Buzz immersed in conversation, Frank told Olivia that moving in together was a bad idea since he knew her choice was Buzz. Olivia tried to tell Frank he was wrong, but he wasn't convinced. The next day, Ava told Frank that she'd seen Olivia and Buzz kissing at Company the previous night. Not long after, Olivia came to ask Frank to give their relationship another chance but he bitterly told her he knew everything. Frank then angrily confronted Buzz on the roof of Gus and Harley's new house (which they were helping Gus build in an effort to win back Harley) about his feelings for Olivia. As Buzz tried to get away from Frank grabbed him by the collar demanding that Buzz to stop lying to him.

As they struggled on the roof, Buzz started to slip, but Frank grabbed onto him, and told Buzz to stop lying to himself. At that movement, Buzz admitted that loved Olivia from the very beginning, but Olivia didn't share his feelings. Frank then advised Buzz that if he really loved Olivia, he had to stop lying and just go for her. Meanwhile, it was becoming apparent that Gus was, indeed, clean. At the same time Mallet was asking Frank to be best man at his wedding, Gus was asking for his job back. While happily agreeing to be Mallet's best man, he told Gus he'd reinstate him if he and Mallet prove that they could work together. In order to do so, Gus volunteered himself to be Mallet's best man as well. Mallet agreed to have Gus in his wedding and as his partner. A few weeks later, Frank prepared to go on his first date in a long time with help from Harley and Marina. However, both ladies thought Frank needed some extra help and they equipped him with a listening device so they could monitor his progress and give him pointers. During the course of the evening, the woman, Theresa, began asking questions about him, Olivia and his father--making him realize she was a reporter out for a story. Theresa admitted it; then admitted that she liked Frank and turned off her recorder as a peace offering. He accepted the gesture and turned off his equipment so he could work on the date alone. Meanwhile, months later, Frank was proud when Marina became the youngest detective in Springfield's history.

In 2007, Frank became concerned about Marina's obvious attraction to Cyrus Foley, a man wanted for theft in Europe. Though Cyrus claimed to be a reformed man, Frank didn't believe it. He also didn't believe Marina's claims that she had no attraction to Foley. Marina continued to investigate Cyrus, who was suspected of siphoning money out of Vanessa's bank account, and shrugged off Frank's concerns that she was becoming too close. Finally, Marina caught Cyrus red-handed with the money. At the same time, Frank and other officers arrived at the scene. Their arrival distracted Marina and Cyrus was able to push her out of the way. Suddenly, her gun went off and the other officers opened fire. Cyrus escaped after calling an ambulance for Marina. When Frank finally arrived on the scene, he thought Cyrus shot Marina but she stated it wasn't him—leading Frank to realize that he accidentally shot his daughter. Cyrus then called for an ambulance and stayed with Marina. Fearing the cops would accidentally shoot Marina again, Cyrus turned himself in but soon escaped. As the weeks went by, Frank became more and more concerned about Marina's feelings for Cyrus, especially when Cyrus was found innocent of all charges. At this time, Cyrus was in Alexandra's employ and she and Frank agreed to keep an eye on Cyrus and Marina.

Later, Frank threatened to suspend Marina for spending her time with known criminals, but she only called his bluff. Days later, Frank called INS to get Cyrus deported. Marina confronted Frank and though she agreed that she had a history of bad choices with men, she couldn't deny her feelings for Cyrus and Frank had to accept that. Weeks later, on the professional front, Frank was forced to reprimand Mallet who was working three jobs in order to pay for Dinah's medical bills and was becoming frequently late for work. Later, Frank noticed a discrepancy in an evidence blogger involving some drug bust money. He looked in Mallet's desk and was shocked to find a huge sum of cash. Frank confronted Mallet who confessed that while he did steal the money he had second thoughts and was never going to use it. Mallet pled for Frank to keep quiet so he could keep his job but Frank was unsure of what he was going to do. The matter became unimportant that very day when Marina was kidnapped by Griggs, the man who was helping Cyrus to rip off every guest at the charity ball that Alexandra was hosting. Harley quickly apprehended Cyrus who informed her that his plan was to keep the money and run off with Marina who was now in the hands of a dangerous man. As a furious Frank railed at Cyrus, Harley convinced him that Cyrus might be able to help them find Marina.

Soon, Harley returned and Frank demanded that she tell him where Cyrus was. Harley claimed not to know. Days later, an officer mentioned to Frank that Ashlee Wolfe, who had been working the tip line, went off to the docks in search of a lead. The officer felt it was a dead lead but Frank wasn't so quick to dismiss it and rushed to the docks. He found an unconscious Ashlee who appeared to be mugged but there was no sign of Marina, though he thought he heard a scream. However, Frank found a red hair on Ashlee's shirt and snagged it for evidence, wondering if it was Marina's. Afterwards, Frank got a call from Alexandra telling him that Cyrus was with her at Harley's house. Cyrus was able to convince Frank that he needed to find Marina and Frank let him go to the docks since Harley had already gone ahead. Cyrus got there just as Griggs was letting both Marina and Harley go. Thanks to a police officer on Griggs's payroll, Griggs apprehended Cyrus after letting the ladies go. After being checked on at Cedars and reuniting with her father, Marina insisted on finding Cyrus. Frank tried to dissuade her by pointing out that Cyrus was a thief. However, Harley defended Cyrus leading Frank to blast his sister for hiding the man away for so long.

Meanwhile, Frank learned that Internal Affairs was investigating Marina for her conduct. Doris accused Marina of being in on Cyrus's scam, or at the very least keeping quiet about it. Since at that time, Doris was running for mayor against Buzz, Frank was certain that Doris was using this situation for political gain. Despite his vehement objections, Marina was stripped of her badge. Upset at the thought of his daughter's career being ruined, Frank was even more upset to learn that Harley set out to find Cyrus. Several days later, Harley and Cyrus were both rescued from the rubble of a collapsed church and brought back to Springfield. Learning that Marina lost her badge, Cyrus went to the station to see an inflexible Frank. Cyrus confessed to Frank how much he loved Marina and felt badly that he cost her so much. Cyrus offered to leave town forever if the charges against him were dropped. After punching Cyrus, Frank agreed. Unfortunately for Frank, it wasn't very hard for Marina to dissuade Cyrus and she visited her father to announce that she was staying with Cyrus whether he liked it or not.

However, Frank was determined to get Cyrus out of Marina's life and called immigration to get him. Thanks to Harley's interference, that failed, and Marina confronted Frank. Frank readily admitted that he placed the call to immigration. Frank threatened to get Cyrus deported and Marina countered by threatening to marry him. Later, Frank lied to the INS agent that Cyrus had been involved in Marina's kidnapping. When the agent came for Cyrus on Main Street, Marina insisted that was not true but the officer refused to listen and took Cyrus to the airport. Extremely distraught, Marina frantically called Harley for help. At the airport, Marina refused to say goodbye to Cyrus, who had accepted his fate, but he insisted that she forget about him and live her life. As Cyrus was being led away, Marina clung to him to stop. At that point, Frank arrived and pulled her off and she shoved him across the room. During this pandemonium, Harley arrived and Marina told her what Frank did. An upset Frank told Harley to choose sides—Cyrus's or her family's. Harley made her choice by telling the INS agent that Cyrus was not involved in the kidnapping and he was let go. Though Marina was distressed at the rift between her and Frank, it was clear her allegiance was to Cyrus. Later, Frank asked Marina if she truly loved Cyrus or if she was just rebelling. Marina assured her father that she loved Cyrus. Frank admitted that he did not know if he would ever be accept to accept that and gave Marina an envelope. Thinking it was cash, Marina blasted her father for turning into Alan. After a hurt Frank left, Marina opened the envelope and found that it was not money—it was a case. That same day, Harley officially asked Frank for an indefinite leave of absence from the force.

In 2008, Frank found himself in the position of having to arrest his father when Buzz admitted publicly that the election was fixed. Buzz insisted that he wasn't responsible but refused to tell Frank who he believed was. Soon, Ashlee came forward and confessed that she was the one responsible. At about the same time, Coop confessed that he was responsible for the fire that injured Bill Lewis. Apparently in a drunken rage, Coop threw a flaming object into the construction trailer without knowing anyone was inside. When Frank tried to be extremely by the book while taking Coop's statement, Coop asked him to be a brother and help him so Frank advised Coop. Luckily, thanks to Doris the charges against Coop were dropped. In the meantime, immigration was apparently hounding Cyrus and so he and Marina quickly got engaged. Though not especially happy, Frank decided he had to accept it for his daughter's sake. Weeks later, Harley shocked Frank by telling him that Marina lied to everyone (including Cyrus) about immigration just to get Cyrus to marry her. Harley then admitted that she had feelings for Cyrus but insisted to Frank that she had them under control. When Frank suggested that Cyrus had taken advantage of her after her divorce from Gus, Harley defended him and told Frank that he'd helped her through panic attacks that she'd been having since the building collapse. Meanwhile, Marina decided to move to France with Cyrus. Before she was set to leave, Frank told Marina that he supported her decision. However, the move was cut short when Marina was injured while going after a drug dealer. Weeks later, Frank and Harley walked in on a furious Marina lashing out at Cyrus. When Frank went after Marina she bitterly told him that Cyrus and Harley were in love. That same day, Frank went to Harley's to find her and Cyrus kissing.

Though Harley tried to defend her actions, Frank dismissed her saying that he didn't know who she was anymore. In disgust, he left Harley and comforted his daughter. Later, Doris informed Frank that there was a complaint about him from a woman that Frank met at a crime scene. Frank had flirted with the woman and she lodged a complaint against him. Frank was put on suspension and Doris appointed Mallet as temporary Chief in the interim. When Mallet broke the news to Marina and Frank, Marina was upset but Mallet assured them that he was only there until Frank beat the charges. Mallet insisted that he was only there to prevent a more ambitious person from taking Frank's job. Meanwhile, Harley was trying to make amends with Marina despite the fact that she asked Cyrus to move in with her. When Harley tried to visit Marina when she was having knee surgery, Frank threw her out. When she tried to sneak in to return, Frank made it clear that she was not welcome. Weeks later, Springfield was rocked by the news that Gus had died in a motorcycle accident. Gus's death brought about a rapprochement for the Coopers as they rallied around Harley and the boys in their moment of grief.Weeks later, though Frank's suspension was lifted, Doris decided to keep Mallet on as Police Chief. Though Frank was reluctant to come back to the police force, Mallet talked Frank into returning as a detective.

Meanwhile, Frank befriended Gus's widow, Natalia, and when he learned that she needed a place to stay, he gallantly vacated his room so she could stay at the Boarding house above Company. Not long after, Frank ran into Sheila, the woman who lodged the complaint against him, and asked why she set him up. Suddenly, Marina saw them talking and threatened to take Sheila to the police station for questioning. Frank told Marina to calm down and told Sheila she was free to go. Moved by Frank's heart, Sheila decided to help him but later changed her story and lied that Frank and Marina intimidated her into confessing. Weeks later, everyone was shocked by the news that Gus's teenaged son, Rafe, shot Jeffrey O'Neill. Rafe immediately fled the scene and Harley disappeared that same day. It didn't take long for Frank to learn from Buzz that Harley fled the country with Rafe to keep him from going to jail. Upset, Frank demanded that Buzz tell him where they were but Buzz refused to tell Frank anything. Rafe's disappearance took its toll on Natalia, however, and Frank convinced Buzz to at least let her talk to her son.

In the meantime, Jeffrey told the police that Rafe accidentally shot him. Though Frank had doubts since the evidence suggested otherwise, Jeffrey stuck to his story. In the meantime, Mallet resigned as Chief. Mere days later, Dinah confessed to Frank that he lost his job because of her. Dinah admitted that she framed him in order to help Mallet by insisted that he knew nothing about it until it was too late. Frank's response was to seek out Mallet and punch him, but he made it clear that this wasn't the end of their friendship. Weeks later, Marina and Mallet decided to start dating officially and went to Frank and Buzz with their intention. Though shocked, both men gave their blessing. Meanwhile, with Harley away, it fell on the Coopers, and Reva, to look after Daisy. Unfortunately, Daisy made that complicated by continually hanging out with Grady Foley—Cyrus's younger brother and the man who killed Tammy Winslow the previous year. When Daisy continued to defy her family by seeing Grady, Frank decided to personally escort her to Europe to see Harley. Unfortunately, by the time Frank got there, Harley and Rafe had fled.

In the on-going weeks, Frank continued to be a friend to Natalia by giving her a place to stay at the boarding house and arranging for her to speak to Rafe. Ultimately, Rafe returned home and was soon apprehended by the police and put in jail. At the same time, there was tension between Frank and Daisy due to Daisy's relationship with Grady Foley. In the meantime, Frank's feeling for Natalia had grown and Coop and Rick encouraged him to ask her out on a date. Tempted, when Frank saw Natalia crying, he backed off. Later, when a money strapped Natalia confided in Frank that she was considering a job at a strip club, he suggested that she come back to work at Company. Meanwhile, despite testimony from Jeffrey and Frank, Rafe took a plea bargain and was sentenced to two years in prison. Meanwhile, Marina and Mallet's relationship continued to flourish and Marina told Frank that they were thinking of buying Harley's house since Harley decided remain in Greece. When Marina admitted that they could not afford it, Frank gave her money that he'd been saving for her wedding. Several weeks later, Frank got caught up in the investigation into Lizzie's kidnapping. Fortunately, Bill Lewis was able to rescue her but was left in a coma following a car crash. Later, Frank received an anonymous tip saying that Bill arranged Lizzie's kidnapping. When Alan let it slip that Bill did profit professionally from Lizzie's disappearance, Frank realized that he had motive and investigated. It didn't take long for more evidence to surface and when Bill woke up from his coma, Frank promptly arrested him. Meanwhile, after Thanksgiving, Frank finally asked Natalia out on a down but she gently turned him down. Soon after, Frank was shocked when Natalia accidentally let it slip that Marina and Mallet were getting married. That same day, Frank visited Rafe and, after arranging for Rafe to work library detail in exchange for getting his GED, Frank told Rafe about his feelings for Natalia. Rafe encouraged Frank to date her.

At about this time, Mallet arranged for Eleni to come to town for a visit. When Eleni told Frank her reservations about Marina and Mallet's relationship, he gave it his vote of confidence. Frank told Eleni that he believed the couple was planning on marrying in a small private ceremony and suggested that they throw them a big wedding at Company. Unfortunately, the wedding was disrupted by the arrival of Marina's ex-boyfriend Shayne Lewis. In the end, Mallet and Marina ended up getting married at the courthouse with her family present. Meantime, Frank helped Natalia by arranging a charity Christmas tree drive—the proceeds going to Rafe's legal fund. He also arranged for Rafe to work prison detail near Company for the day so that Natalia could see him. On Christmas, Frank gave Daisy a special present—magazine cutout of everything he wanted to get her. After explaining that it was a tradition that he and her mother shared, Frank admitted that he didn't want her relationship with Grady to destroy her relationship with her family.

In 2009, Buzz learned that he was in danger of losing Company and accepted Alan's offer to buy the restaurant until the matter was settled. Meanwhile, Frank continued to woo Natalia and finally declared his feelings for her. Unfortunately, Natalia had an adverse reaction to Frank's impulsive kiss and apologized for giving him the wrong idea. Believing that he scared Natalia away, Frank continued to pursue Natalia. For her part, Natalia did enjoy spending time with Frank. In the meantime, the Cooper family was rocked when Coop became seriously injured in a car crash. After surgery, a weak Coop asked Frank to take care of their father—as if Coop was saying goodbye. Very soon after, Coop succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced brain dead, prompting Buzz to pull the plug. Afterwards, Buzz, who blamed Alan for Coop's death, decided he wanted nothing to do with the Spauldings and moved out of the boarding house. Frank followed suite and the pair moved in with Marina. Not long after, Frank took Natalia out for a romantic getaway and the pair made love. Unfortunately, Natalia ran out afterwards. Several days later, Frank met his new grandson—Marina's adopted baby, Henry Cooper Camaletti.

Soon after, believing that Natalia felt guilty for having sex without being married, Frank proposed to Natalia. Natalia took several days to think about it and finally agreed to marry an elated Frank. Later, Buzz questioned Natalia's feelings for Frank. When Frank took Buzz's attitude to mean that he doubted that Natalia could fall in love with Frank, Buzz took back what he said and supported the match. As the weeks went on, Frank reveled in the fact that he was marrying Natalia whom he called the love of his life. Weeks later, Frank was seemingly able to get Rafe released from prison and placed in a half way house. Since he had to report to the half-way house soon, Rafe suggested that Frank and Natalia get married immediately. Unfortunately, Natalia broke Frank's heart by leaving him at the altar. When Frank confronted her, Olivia claimed that Natalia was still mourning the loss of Gus. Despite what happened, Frank still believed that he and Natalia would be together.

Weeks later, Doris told Frank that Natalia was in love with Olivia. Shocked, Frank angrily accused her of lying and had to fight off Doris's body guards when Frank became argumentative. However, when Frank saw Olivia and Natalia in an embrace, he realized that Doris was right. Afterwards, Frank accused Olivia of manipulating Natalia after Gus died. Natalia defended herself and Olivia and made it clear that their feelings were real. Later, Frank told Rafe that he and Natalia would never be a couple but gave no reason other than it was not meant to be. Days later, Rafe had a hearing to decide whether to have his sentence commuted. Though Frank was initially not going to go, he had a change of heart and volunteered to act as a mentor to Rafe. Afterwards, Rafe told Frank his intention of joining the police force. Sadly, Frank was forced to tell him that that was not possible since Rafe had a felony record.. In the meantime, Frank decided that it was finally time to get his own place and, with Blake's help, was able to find an apartment. Since Rafe was still uncomfortable staying with his mother, Frank invited him to live with him. As the weeks went by, Frank focused on several criminal cases while Matt tried to encourage him to go out and meet women. Finally, Matt was able to convince Frank to try on-line dating. In the meantime, Natalia shocked Frank with news that she was pregnant. Though Frank was uncertain about how he could be a father with Olivia in the picture, Blake assured him that it was no different than divorced couples who remarry. Not long after, Frank started chatting with an unknown woman on the dating site.

In the meantime, things changed quickly for the Cooper family. Unable to deal with the revelation that Henry was Shayne's son, Mallet left Marina and moved to Germany. On a happier note, Buzz and Lillian finally married and Frank was reinstated as Chief of Police after Chief Wolfe stepped down. Not long after, Frank finally got to meet the woman that he'd been chatting with for weeks---it was Blake. By the following year, Frank had a new daughter named Francesca and he and Blake were a couple.