Brian O’Hara has resigned as Minneapolis police chief, Mayor Jacob Frey confirmed on Tuesday night.
Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell will serve as the interim police chief, Frey added.
An overview of an investigative report into O’Hara’s conduct, obtained by KSTP via a data request, indicated the chief deleted a contact from his phone in order to obscure his connection to a witness in a previous investigation.
That prior investigation was investigating allegations that O’Hara had a sexual relationship with one or more city employees. Those allegations were not substantiated, the investigative report said.
The report also says O’Hara discussed the ongoing investigations into his conduct with city employees, which he was directed not to do.
Mayor Frey said he notified O’Hara of the results of the second investigation on Tuesday and informed him that he would take disciplinary action, including discharge. At that point, O’Hara resigned, Frey said.
O’Hara was informed of the original complaint over a year ago, on May 1, 2025, during a meeting with the mayor and Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette, according to the investigative report.
The report goes on to say that Barnette told investigators that the only time O’Hara became agitated during the May 1 meeting was when he was told he needed to turn his phone over immediately for imaging.
Tuesday night’s press conference with Mayor Frey can be viewed above.
