Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has stepped down following revelations of his interference in an investigation concerning his own conduct, as announced by Mayor Jacob Frey.
Mayor Frey disclosed on Tuesday that O’Hara, who had been serving as police chief since November 2022, faced scrutiny after an anonymous complaint was submitted last year. The complaint accused him of engaging in sexually intimate relationships with city employees.
“An independent investigation was launched, involving extensive interviews and participation from numerous staff members. Several months ago, the investigation concluded, resulting in a report that found the allegations unsubstantiated. These allegations remain unsubstantiated,” Frey stated.
Frey further revealed, “Today, I received findings from an additional investigation indicating that Chief O’Hara interfered with the investigative process. Specifically, it was found that he deliberately deleted a contact card from his city-issued phone to conceal evidence of his connection with the individual in question. Despite being instructed not to discuss the investigation, he informed another city employee that his city-issued phone had been confiscated as part of the investigation.”
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Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara addresses the media during a press briefing in Minneapolis on January 10, 2026. (Jen Golbeck/AP)
“Although the investigators have concluded that this interference does not change their ultimate conclusion contained in the original report — in other words, the allegations of relationships with city employees — the interference itself is a breach of trust. Because of that, I informed the chief that I would be disciplining him up to and including discharge, and he resigned. I have accepted his resignation,” Frey also said, calling the move an “extremely painful decision.”
Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell will now take over O’Hara’s position, according to Frey.
O’Hara was the head of the Minneapolis Police Department during the shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church and during the Operation Metro Surge federal immigration crackdown earlier this year.
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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey arrives at the U.S. Capitol for a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., on Jan. 29, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
“Everyone makes mistakes, including me. But what I can’t allow is a breach of trust. When you serve as chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, trust is not secondary to the job, it is the job,” Frey said Tuesday.
“And when trust is broken, it becomes extremely difficult to continue leading effectively,” he added. “The MPD has worked hard to rebuild credibility and trust with the community and within its own ranks. Our staff and residents need to know that they can trust not just the department, but also the person leading it. While the right decision was clear, it was not made lightly.”
The city still has 17 open complaints against O’Hara — separate from the investigation that resulted in disciplinary action — and will continue investigating, mayor’s office spokesperson Jennifer Lor told The Associated Press.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara speaks during a press conference about the Annunciation Church shooting in Minneapolis, Minn., on Aug. 28, 2025. (Tim Evans/Reuters)
Lor could not comment on the nature of those complaints.
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