Brian O’Hara announced his resignation on Tuesday following a city‑issued written reprimand that detailed the findings of an internal investigation. Mayor Jacob Frey said the chief “chose to resign rather than face disciplinary action” after investigators determined he had attempted to obstruct the probe.
According to the reprimand, O’Hara “deleted a contact card from his city‑issued cell phone in an attempt to shield evidence” and later warned a city employee about the investigation, despite explicit instructions to keep the matter confidential.
Frey told reporters, “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.” He added, “Trust is not secondary to the job. It is the job.”
The mayor’s office said the city will continue to investigate the 17 complaints that remain open against O’Hara, separate from the interference case. A spokesperson, Jennifer Lor, declined to comment on the nature of those complaints.
O’Hara became police chief in 2022, stepping into a department still under intense national scrutiny after the killing of George Floyd in 2020. He oversaw the law‑enforcement response to the deadly Annunciation Catholic School shooting last August and publicly criticized federal immigration‑enforcement tactics during the December 2021 incident when a federal agent knelt on a woman’s back.
Assistant Police Chief Katie Blackwell will assume interim leadership of the Minneapolis Police Department while the city searches for a new chief, Frey said.