Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara resigned on Tuesday, May 26, after facing discipline from Mayor Jacob Frey. O’Hara has been accused of interfering with an investigation into his alleged sexual relations with city employees.
Frey sent a letter to council members minutes before publicly announcing O’Hara’s resignation, saying, per KSTP, “Today, I received an investigative report with concerning substantiated findings regarding Chief O’Hara’s leadership. This evening, I informed the Chief I would be disciplining him, up to and including discharge, and he resigned. I have accepted his resignation. I know this news will come as a surprise to many.”
“Chief O’Hara stepped into leadership during one of the most difficult periods in Minneapolis history. Under his leadership, the department made meaningful progress in several important areas — from reforms, to rebuilding recruitment and retention efforts, to strengthening public safety work across the city. I remain grateful for his service to Minneapolis and for the work he put into this role. At the same time, my responsibility as Mayor is to maintain public trust in the institutions that serve our residents,” he added.
Frey concluded, “At the time I announced the Chief’s renomination, the information available to me did not warrant this outcome. The investigative report changed my assessment and ultimately made it necessary for me to act. I understand there will be many questions surrounding this announcement. But through this transition, my focus remains on ensuring stability, continuity, and trust in the leadership of our City enterprise.”
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An overview of an investigative report into O’Hara’s conduct that KSTP reviewed indicated that he deleted a contact from his phone to obscure his connection to a witness in a previous investigation. The previous probe was investigating allegations that O’Hara had a sexual relationship with one or more city employees. However, according to the investigative report, conducted by Forsgren Fisher McCalmont DeMarea Tysver LLP, these allegations were not substantiated
According to the report, O’Hara discussed the ongoing probe with city employees, which he has been directed not to do.
Frey said that O’Hara resigned after he notified the chief of the results of the second investigation on Tuesday and informed him that he would take disciplinary action.
Five things to know
Here are five things to know after Brian O’Hara’s resignation:
- The investigative report said that O’Hara was informed of the original complaint more than a year ago, on May 1, 2025, during a meeting with the mayor and Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette.
- The report also said that Barnette told investigators that the only time O’Hara was agitated during the meeting on May 1 last year was when he was told he needed to turn his phone over immediately for imaging.
- O’Hara joined the Minneapolis Police Department in November 2022 after he served as deputy mayor and public safety director for Newark, New Jersey.
- Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell is going to take over as acting chief effective immediately.
- No decision has been made on who will serve as interim chief, Frey said. However, Blackwell is up for the job.
