The police chief who oversaw the reforms made by Minneapolis in the wake of the controversial death of George Floyd has resigned rather than face allegations of interfering with an investigation, according to the mayor.
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday that Brian O’Hara had resigned rather than face the consequences from allegedly deleting evidence.
‘When trust is broken, it becomes extremely difficult to continue leading effectively.’
Investigators are looking into allegations that O’Hara had intimate relations with several city staff members, Frey said. When Frey told O’Hara he would face discipline over the alleged interference, O’Hara chose to resign instead.
“I accepted the resignation. It was an extremely painful decision, obviously, but I concluded that that was necessary to maintain public trust, and this was the right way to move forward as a city,” the mayor said.
“When you serve as chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, trust is not secondary to the job, it is the job,” he added. “When trust is broken, it becomes extremely difficult to continue leading effectively.”
According to the allegations, O’Hara deleted a contact from his city-issued phone in order to “shield” himself, and he also warned a colleague about the investigation after he was specifically instructed not to do so.
The independent law firm investigating the sex claims did not find enough evidence to substantiate the allegations.
Frey said that Assistant Police Chief Katie Blackwell would take up the mantle as acting police chief while the city conducted a search for an interim police chief.
“This is not about being intolerant of mistakes,” he added. “Everyone makes mistakes including me. But what I can’t allow is a breach of trust.”
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O’Hara had been criticized for not doing enough to combat federal operations in Minneapolis as well as the police response to the shooting of Davis Moturi. He also oversaw the police response to the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting in Aug. 2025.
Despite the criticism against the police chief, Frey had nominated O’Hara to another four-year term earlier this month. The mayor said Wednesday that he would not have done so if he knew about the allegations.
City council members, including the president, criticized Frey heavily over the O’Hara affair.
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