Minneapolis council leaders call out lack of transparency after chief's resignation

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis City Council leaders are demanding answers from Mayor Jacob Frey following the sudden resignation of Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara on Tuesday.

Minneapolis Police Chief resigns

The backstory:

Now-former chief O'Hara resigned suddenly on Tuesday following the release of a shocking report that showed he had likely interfered with an investigation into him carrying on sexual relationships with city employees.

The new report found that O'Hara had deleted a contact card for one of the employees in question on his city-issued phone to apparently "shield himself" during the investigation. Investigators also say O'Hara failed to abide by instructions to maintain confidentiality during the investigation because he alerted another city employee about the case.

It should be noted that investigators were never able to substantiate the initial sex allegations against O'Hara and the parties involved all denied engaging in any relationship. However, investigators were never able to fully examine O'Hara's personal phone.

Local perspective:

When the latest report was issued on Tuesday, Mayor Frey notified the chief he would reprimand the chief with punishment rising to the level of discharge. The chief opted to resign instead.

Mayor Jacob Frey announced O'Hara's departure at a Tuesday evening press conference.

The surprising departure comes less than three weeks after Frey nominated O'Hara for a second term as police chief.

Big picture view:

O'Hara had overseen a remarkable turnaround for the Minneapolis Police Department, leading the force out of the pandemic and through post-George Floyd reforms.

He also took over the department when the city was dealing with staggering highs in crime not seen since the 1990s. During his reign, homicides saw a 33-percent drop from the pandemic high in 2021, and shootings in north Minneapolis for the start of 2026 were at an all-time low.

What's next:

Following O'Hara's departure, Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell has been named interim police chief.

City council reaction

What they're saying:

Minneapolis city council leaders held a news conference on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the sudden departure.

During the presser, council members called on the mayor for more communication with the council. They say they were left in the dark about both investigations into O'Hara even as he was re-nominated.

"We knew of no actual formal investigations at that time, none of that was disclosed to us," Payne said. "We discovered the depth of these investigations last night when the mayor shared out the report that closed the investigation into the interference into the previous investigations."

"We're not even speaking to the substance of the allegations," Payne said. "We're speaking to the lack of transparency and disclosure of these investigations before we even get into the substance of those investigations."

Council members also questioned why Frey allowed O'Hara to not only continue to serve as chief while the investigation was underway but nominate him for another term.

"Mayor Frey has yet to explain or defend his choice to allow Brian O'Hara to remain the acting chief of police while these claims were being investigated, or why he even nominated him for a second term," added Wonsley.

The other side:

Tuesday night, as he announced the resignation, Mayor Frey explained his decision to re-nominate O'Hara.

"I can't, as mayor, operate off of rumor or anonymous complaints," Frey said. "I have to operate off of evidence that has been substantiated by, in this case, an independent investigator."

"The original complaint was not substantiated. New evidence came in through a complaint," Frey continued. "New allegations came in through a complaint. We investigated that as well, immediately. And you're seeing me here today, telling you exactly what we are disciplining on and why."

Dig deeper:

O'Hara's nomination faced opposition on the council, with several members critical of his response to two controversial cases: the shooting of Davis Moturi by his neighbor and the death of Allison Lussier.

An audit earlier this year found the former chief had made harmful public statements during both of those cases.

At the same time, the council is also battling with the mayor over the nomination of Public Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette. For Barnette, the council has raised an issue with the department's overspending in 2025.

Currently, Barnette's nomination remains locked in limbo after the council denied it and the mayor has vetoed their denial. That has left Barnette serving as commissioner on an interim basis until one side budges. The council has until early August to make a decision, otherwise Barnette would be removed as commissioner. But Frey could just reappoint him, which would start the whole process over again.

O'Hara's lawyer shares statement regarding resignation

What they're saying:

O'Hara's lawyer, Doug Kelley, shared the following statement on behalf of the former police chief: 

"After a nationwide search, Chief Brian O’Hara was brought to Minneapolis to help lead the city through one of the most difficult chapters in its history. He arrived just two-and-a-half years after George Floyd’s murder, at a time when Minneapolis was still confronting the aftermath of unrest, a crisis of public trust in policing, rising violent crime, and a depleted police department. MPD was the most scrutinized police department in the country.

"One of the Chief's top priorities was reducing violent crime in Minneapolis. During his tenure, crime has decreased dramatically. In 2019, the City had 890 officers. When the Chief was hired in 2022, it was roughly 560 officers. It is now 643 officers and growing in quantity, quality, and diversity. The Chief also made significant progress in rebuilding community trust and pride within the ranks of MPD.

"During the recent ‘Metro Surge’ by federal immigration agents, Minneapolis was constantly on the precipice of igniting the spark that would set the city on fire again. The Chief carefully navigated the surge, allowing freedom of expression while mitigating violent clashes with the federal government.

"The circumstances of Chief O’Hara’s departure should not define his service. He was proud to serve Minneapolis, remains grateful to the officers and community partners who did difficult work under extraordinary pressure, and hopes the city continues moving forward. He understandably looks forward to returning to his young family in New Jersey."

Minneapolis Police DepartmentMinneapolisCrime and Public Safety