Minneapolis Chief O'Hara Resigns After Interfering With Investigation, Frey Says

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has resigned after a report revealed he interfered with an investigation into allegations regarding his conduct with city employees, Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday night.

The resignation follows an investigation into an anonymous complaint made last year that alleged the chief had sexually intimate relationships with city employees, Frey said at a news conference streamed on YouTube by KSTP. An outside investigation concluded the allegations were not substantiated, but the mayor on Tuesday received a report from a separate probe that found O’Hara had interfered in the initial investigation by deleting a contact from his city-issued cellphone, according to Frey.

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Frey informed O’Hara he would be disciplined up to and including discharge from his position and O’Hara chose to resign, the mayor said.

“When you serve as chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, trust is not secondary to the job; it is the job, and when trust is broken, it becomes extremely difficult to continue leading effectively,” Frey said. “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.”

Assistant Chief of Operations Katie Blackwell will serve as the department’s acting chief, effective immediately, according to Frey.

O’Hara was named chief in 2022 and has led the agency through a turbulent time that has included the ongoing aftermath of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of its own officers, the Annunciation Catholic School mass shooting and Operation Metro Surge.

KMSP has published a full copy of the investigative report, which can be viewed at fox9.com/news/minneapolis-police-chief-ohara-out-after-investigation-report.