Fran has served over eight years as the District Attorney of Dauphin County. The Court of Common Pleas appointed him to that position after he served as a deputy district attorney for nearly 23 years, including 14 years as the First Assistant District Attorney. The people of Dauphin County subsequently elected him as District Attorney twice. 

The Supreme Court of the United States recognizes the position of District Attorney as quasi-judicial. The District Attorney makes judicial-like decisions every day. The attorney representing a client must act on behalf of the client. The District Attorney’s decisions must be based on what the law mandates and what is in the public interest. The District Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer in Dauphin County. The D.A.’s duty is to promote the public safety and to ensure that justice is done.

 In the last 60 years, Dauphin County has had only five District Attorneys, including its current one. Fran’s four predecessors were the Honorable LeRoy S. Zimmerman, the Honorable Richard A. Lewis, the Honorable John F. Cherry, and the Honorable Edward M. Marsico, Jr.

Five District Attorneys
Judge Lewis, District Attorney Chardo, Judge Marsico, former Attorney General Zimmerman, and Judge Cherry at the ceremony placing Judge Marsico’s framed picture on the wall in the lobby of the District Attorney’s Office in 2018

The Honorable LeRoy S. Zimmerman served as Dauphin County District Attorney from 1965 until 1980. In 1980, he was elected Attorney General of Pennsylvania, the first person elected to that office. Attorney General Zimmerman served as the chief law enforcement officer of Pennsylvania from 1981 until 1989. He created the structure that exists today for that statewide department.

The Honorable Richard A. Lewis served as Dauphin County District Attorney from 1980 until 1994. He had served as a prosecutor in Dauphin County from 1972 through 1994. In 1994, he became a Judge of the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas. The judges of that court twice elected him President Judge and he served two separate five year terms as President Judge. Judge Lewis retired in 2021. He was the first judge to supervise the Dauphin County Drug Treatment Court. He currently serves as a senior judge in Chester County.

The Honorable John F. Cherry served as Dauphin County District Attorney from 1994 until 2000. In 2000, he became a Judge of the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas. By election of the judges of that court, he served a term as President Judge of the Court. He retired in 2024 and serves as a senior judge throughout Pennsylvania. 

The Honorable Edward M. Marsico, Jr. was the longest serving District Attorney in Dauphin County history. He succeeded Judge Cherry in 2000, and he served as District Attorney for 18 years. He currently sits as a criminal court judge. One of his special duties is to supervise RALLY Recovery Court, the drug treatment court. RALLY Recovery Court allows the District Attorney’s Office to divert individuals whose drug dependency has brought them into the criminal justice system. In RALLY Recovery Court, appropriate individuals receive a county sentence with an emphasis on treatment instead of a state prison sentence.

Our current District Attorney Fran Chardo assumed office after D.A. Marsico was elected judge in 2017. Fran leads an office of 31 prosecutors, 14 detectives, and 10 co-responders. He makes quasi-judicial decisions every day. Fran always works hard to ensure fairness in our criminal justice system. As the chair of the Criminal Justice Advisory Board, he seeks to improve our criminal justice system at all levels.