Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara resigns after mayor cites ‘breach of trust’ in internal probe

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara has resigned after an internal investigation revealed he interfered with an inquiry into his conduct, leading Mayor Jacob Frey to declare that "trust is not secondary to the job, it is the job."

The sudden departure forces out a leader who was specifically brought in to rebuild community confidence and reform a department heavily scrutinized since the 2020 killing of George Floyd.

Jacob Frey says trust breakdown forced resignation

During a press conference on Tuesday, May 26, Mayor Jacob Frey stressed that a breakdown in internal accountability made O'Hara's continued leadership impossible.

"Everyone makes mistakes, including me, but what I can't allow is a breach of trust," Frey said.

"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."

The mayor's remarks followed an internal investigation that discovered the chief had compromised an inquiry by deleting a contact card for a city employee from his city-issued cell phone to conceal evidence. O’Hara was under investigation for allegedly having intimate relationships with city employees.

In a written reprimand, Frey noted that while the underlying allegations remained unsubstantiated, O'Hara's actions risked the integrity of the process.

Faced with impending disciplinary action that could have resulted in his termination, O'Hara chose to step down.

Brian O’Hara faced post-George Floyd reform challenges

O'Hara assumed leadership of the Minneapolis Police Department in November 2022.

He took the job at a critical time, as the city was still recovering from the global protests over racism and police brutality sparked by Floyd's death.

Tasked with rebuilding a depleted police force and overseeing major structural reforms, O'Hara was hired to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the public.

Tasked with rebuilding a depleted police force and overseeing major structural reforms, O'Hara was hired to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the public.

The department's path took another turn last year when Minneapolis entered into an agreement with the federal government to overhaul its training and use-of-force policies, though the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump canceled that agreement months later.

Despite these challenges, Frey had re-nominated O'Hara earlier this month, stating that "he's the right leader for this moment."

The sudden resignation of the high-profile chief, brought in to restore trust after Floyd’s murder and the 2020 unrest, marks another major leadership shakeup for the troubled Minneapolis Police Department.

Meanwhile, to prevent a lapse in oversight, Assistant Police Chief Katie Blackwell has been named acting police chief effective immediately, taking over as the city once again navigates a transition of power.