Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has stepped down from his position following revelations that he obstructed an internal probe into his behavior. The departure comes immediately after Mayor Jacob Frey confronted O’Hara with findings from an independent inquiry, presenting him with a choice of facing severe disciplinary actions, which could have ended in his termination. Instead, O’Hara chose to step aside instead.
Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell has been appointed to step in as the acting head of the agency. Blackwell, a veteran who entered the department in 1999 and previously testified regarding department protocols during the high-profile state trial of Derek Chauvin, will manage operations while the city searches for a permanent successor.
The controversy originated from an anonymous tip claiming O’Hara maintained inappropriate romantic involvements with municipal workers. An external legal firm investigated these assertions but found no evidence to back them up. However, a secondary inquiry uncovered that O’Hara actively hindered the initial probe. Specifically, investigators discovered he had wiped a contact card from his city-provided mobile phone to mask his association with a witness and had discussed the active inquiry with other municipal workers despite explicit directives to remain silent.
This swift downfall follows just weeks after Mayor Frey had publicly backed O’Hara for a subsequent four-year tenure, hailing him as “the right leader for this moment and for this city”. Driven by the investigative findings, Frey reversed his position, emphasizing that the chief’s actions demonstrated deficient judgment and a lack of required integrity. During a public briefing, the mayor noted, “Trust is not secondary to the job, it is the job,” and added, “When trust is broken it becomes extremely difficult to continue leading effectively.” Frey also remarked, “Everyone makes mistakes, including me, but what I can’t allow is a breach of trust.”
O’Hara originally assumed control of the law enforcement agency in late 2022, tasked with enacting critical reforms after a federal probe revealed systemic issues within the department. While his departure is overshadowed by misconduct, city officials acknowledged his efforts in lowering crime rates, navigating complex public safety crises, and expanding the department’s ranks.
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