Minneapolis police chief resigns after interfering with investigation, mayor says

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara resigned from his position after it was discovered that he “interfered” with an investigation into his conduct, according to the city’s Mayor Jacob Frey. 

Frey said Tuesday that O’Hara — who led the department since November 2022 — came under scrutiny after an anonymous complaint was received last year “alleging the chief had engaged in sexually intimate relationships with city employees.” 

“An outside investigation was conducted, extensive interviews were completed, and numerous staff participated. Several months ago, that investigation concluded and we received a report stating that the allegations were not substantiated. Those allegations remain not substantiated,” Frey said. 

“However, today I received a report of findings from an additional investigation that showed Chief O’Hara interfered with the investigation process,” he added. “Specifically, investigators found that he intentionally deleted a contact card for an individual from his city-issued cell phone during the original investigation in an attempt to shield that evidence of his connection to the person from investigators. And even though he was instructed not to discuss the investigation itself with anyone, he told another city employee that his city cell phone had been taken from him for the investigation.”

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“Although the investigators have concluded that this interference does not change their ultimate conclusion contained in the original report — in other words, the allegations of relationships with city employees — the interference itself is a breach of trust. Because of that, I informed the chief that I would be disciplining him up to and including discharge, and he resigned. I have accepted his resignation,” Frey also said, calling the move an “extremely painful decision.” 

Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell will now take over O’Hara’s position, according to Frey. 

O’Hara was the head of the Minneapolis Police Department during the shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church and during the Operation Metro Surge federal immigration crackdown earlier this year.

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“Everyone makes mistakes, including me. But what I can’t allow is a breach of trust. When you serve as chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, trust is not secondary to the job, it is the job,” Frey said Tuesday. 

“And when trust is broken, it becomes extremely difficult to continue leading effectively,” he added. “The MPD has worked hard to rebuild credibility and trust with the community and within its own ranks. Our staff and residents need to know that they can trust not just the department, but also the person leading it. While the right decision was clear, it was not made lightly.” 

The city still has 17 open complaints against O’Hara — separate from the investigation that resulted in disciplinary action — and will continue investigating, mayor’s office spokesperson Jennifer Lor told The Associated Press.

Lor could not comment on the nature of those complaints. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.