Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Top Chief Charged With Driving Under The Influence

SOMERVILLE, NJ — One of the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office's top chiefs has been arrested.

Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Chief of Detectives Francisco "Frank" Roman Jr. was charged with operating under the influence of liquor or drugs on Saturday around midnight in Somerville, according to online court records.

Roman is scheduled to appear before Somerville Municipal Court at 100 Commons Way in Bridgewater on April 6 at 2 p.m.

He was also charged with careless driving likely to endanger person or property.

The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office or Roman did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.

Roman is a 25-year veteran of law enforcement in New Jersey. He built his career inside the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, moving through narcotics, organized crime, major crimes and command assignments over more than two decades.

In 2000, he accepted a position as a detective for the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. After four years as a narcotics detective, he was promoted to detective sergeant in 2004. In that role, he served as the squad supervisor for the Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force and Gang Task Force for four years.

He was later transferred and assigned as the unit commander for the Major Crimes Unit. In 2011, he was promoted to the rank of detective lieutenant and assigned as the deputy commander of the Criminal Investigation Division, where he served for four years.

In 2015, he was promoted to detective captain, overseeing the Criminal Investigation Division. After serving two years as captain, he was promoted to deputy chief of detectives.

In July 2023, he was promoted to chief of detectives. In addition to his duties, Roman served as the commander of the Somerset County Emergency Response Team and also as the Public Information Officer and Agency Spokesperson

That team consists of the SWAT Team, the Crisis-Negotiators Team, and the Dive-Rescue Team. Roman has been a member of SWAT for more than 20 years.

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