Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara Resigns After Internal Investigation

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara has resigned after an internal investigation into his conduct, Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday evening.

"Everyone makes mistakes, including me, but what I can't allow is a breach of trust," Frey said at a press conference. "When you serve as chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, trust is not secondary to the job, it is the job. When trust is broken, it becomes extremely difficult to continue leading effectively."

In a written reprimand, Frey said investigators found that O'Hara interfered with an earlier probe that included allegations he had engaged in sexual intimate relationships with city employees. The reprimand stated that O'Hara "knowingly and intentionally" deleted a contact card for a city employee from his city-issued phone during that investigation "in an attempt to shield that evidence" from investigators.

"Although the investigators have concluded that the underlying allegations from the original investigation remain not substantiated, your interference with the investigation risked the integrity of the investigation and constitutes a significant breach of trust," the reprimand said.

Frey named Assistant Police Chief Katie Blackwell as acting chief, effective immediately.

Earlier this month, Frey had re-nominated O'Hara for the post, saying he was "the right leader for this moment." O'Hara was first sworn in as chief in November 2022. One of his early priorities was rebuilding the ranks of a depleted force.

O'Hara, 47, is a New Jersey native. He began his career as an officer in Newark, later served as public safety director and deputy mayor there, and is married with two children who live on the East Coast.