Minneapolis — In a city that often seems to be lurching from one crisis to the next, the resignation comes as a surprise Police Chief Brian O’Hara After discovering that he had likely interfered with the misconduct investigation, Minneapolis was left once again searching for a way forward.
O’Hara was an outsider brought in on commission Reform the police department After the killing of 2020 george floyd, Which led to the findings of federal and state investigations into excessive force and racist police practices. O’Hara spent most of his career in Newark, New Jersey, where he made changes after that department was placed under a federal consent decree for patterns of excessive force and unconstitutional stops and searches.
The challenges in Minneapolis were clear before O’Hara arrived In late 2022. For a time, it looked like the division itself might not survive. In 2021, more than 43% of voters supported dissolving the administration as the city reeled from Floyd’s killing and the massive protests and widespread riots that followed.
Police experts have noted the huge task facing the city’s next police chief, who will have to rebuild community trust and a department whose morale has fallen so low that it has hemorrhaged officers.
“I don’t think there is a greater challenge for any American city than the challenge Minneapolis faced when he arrived,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington think tank. “They went from 850 to 500 officers, violent crime skyrocketed, trust with the community was broken, a police station burned down, and the next president would face a federal consent decree. Then there was Minneapolis politics.”
Coming in as an outsider to lead a large department is daunting, even without being asked to reform and rebuild, said Renee Hall, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, who moved from Detroit to lead the Dallas Police Department from 2017 to 2020.
“It’s very difficult to walk into an organization where you don’t even know where the light switches are, where the bathrooms are. And those are just the basics,” Hall said. “You have to learn the officers, the community, the politics of that particular city, and try to learn and navigate existing relationships, like unions or officers’ associations and who’s associated with who and who’s fighting for who.”
Hall said outside employees could face resentment from those within the organization who supported internal candidates. They also have to earn the community’s trust, which she said takes time.
After the measure to disband the police failed, O’Hara joined the bureaucracy in a very progressive city that was regularly exposed to political battles between the mayor and the City Council, and among council members.
Those battles were on full display Wednesday, when the City Council’s news conference on O’Hara’s resignation quickly turned into an opportunity for the council’s assertive progressives to attack Mayor Jacob Frey, who has long portrayed himself as a “practical progressive.”
Councilman Robin Wonsley, a cornerstone of the council’s Progressive Caucus, said the resignation “is a symptom of a much larger problem, which is simply that Mayor Frey still cannot effectively run the Minneapolis Police Department.”
Frey, who just weeks ago pushed for O’Hara’s reappointment as president, responded to criticism that he did not act aggressively enough when allegations of possible misconduct by the president surfaced.
“I do not make decisions based on rumors and anonymous complaints,” he said in a statement, adding that he would work with the council to find an alternative. “I took action immediately after receiving the investigation report. … Decisions this serious must be based on facts, evidence and completed investigations. Anything less would be irresponsible.”
O’Hara did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday. His attorney, Doug Kelly, issued a statement praising successes during O’Hara’s tenure, including diversifying and growing the department’s ranks, a decline in violent crime and an easing of violent clashes during the immigration crackdown.
“The circumstances of President O’Hara’s departure should not define his service,” Kelly wrote. “He was proud to serve Minneapolis, remains grateful to the officers and community partners who did a difficult job under extraordinary pressure, and is hopeful that the city will continue to move forward. Understandably, he is looking forward to returning to his young family in New Jersey.”
The resignation came just months after Minneapolis entered the national spotlight amid Federal immigration boom As a result, three civilians were shot, killing two of them. O’Hara faced criticism for not doing enough to stop the crackdown.
Violence swept the city in 2025, including… Deadly attacks on state politicians In the suburbs of Minneapolis; Shooting broke out at a popular picnic spot in the city; And a shooting During the mass in the Church of the Annunciation, which led to the killing of two children and the injury of more than ten people. O’Hara described the church attack as ” A truly unimaginable tragedy. ”
Critics say dozens of complaints have been filed against O’Hara, from accusations that he was rude to the public to the recent investigation into an ultimately unsubstantiated allegation that he had a sexual relationship with a city employee. Most complaints have not been made public, and 17 complaints remain under investigation. Investigators closed 17 others without taking any disciplinary action.
An independent investigator found no evidence to substantiate the alleged sexual relationship with a city employee, but a second report released this week said O’Hara likely deleted the employee’s contact from his phone during the investigation, and that he spoke to another employee about the investigation despite being told it would not be discussed.
This latest report resulted in a written reprimand; Fry told O’Hara that he would be disciplined and that he could be fired. O’Hara chose to resign instead, Frey said.
Frey was appointed interim chief on Tuesday from within the administration, and has 30 days to nominate a successor under the city charter. ___
Lauer reported from Philadelphia.