Community Groups Question Why Jacob Frey Renominated Chief Brian O’Hara Amid Investigation, Other Failures

The sudden resignation of former Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara has sparked renewed criticism from community organizations that say city leaders ignored longstanding concerns about his leadership.

On Tuesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced O’Hara’s resignation after learning the chief interfered with an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations involving city employees.

Investigators determined O’Hara “knowingly and intentionally” deleted a city employee’s contact card from his city-issued phone in an attempt to conceal evidence of his connection to the employee. While the underlying allegations of sexual relationships remain unsubstantiated, Frey said O’Hara’s interference in the investigation could have led to discipline “up to and including discharge.”

A List of Community Concerns

The resignation comes just weeks after Frey renominated O’Hara for a second term as police chief saying, “He's the right leader for this moment.” That decision is now drawing sharp criticism from community organizations who say city leaders ignored longstanding concerns about O’Hara’s leadership.

Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) said community members “applaud the resignation” but questioned why previous controversies and failures did not end O’Hara’s tenure sooner.

“Jacob Frey talks about rebuilding trust between the community and MPD, but less than a month ago, he nominated Chief O’Hara for reappointment, despite the fact that O’Hara was under ongoing investigation for inappropriate conduct with city employees,” the organization wrote.

The coalition also highlighted several high-profile incidents involving the department under O’Hara’s leadership, including the deaths of Allison Lussier and Mariah Samuels and the shooting of Davis Moturi.

The organization further criticized the massive budget mismanagement under O’Hara’s leadership. This year, MPD is set to exceed its 2026 budget by $23.4 million. The department’s total budget this year is nearly $226 million.

“We need power over the police,” TCC4J said, calling for an all-elected Civilian Police Accountability Commission (CPAC) with authority over police leadership decisions. “The people of Minneapolis would have been able to fire Chief O'hara for any one of these failures.”

TCC4J is currently petitioning to have CPAC on the ballot in November for Minneapolis residents. 

New Justice Project—a Black-led organization dedicated to reimagining community safety, among other things—condemned both O’Hara’s leadership and Mayor Frey’s decision to renominate him while an active investigation was ongoing.

“Why was a police chief with an active investigation nominated for reappointment?” the group asked.

The organization pointed to several controversial actions during O’Hara’s tenure, including the promotion of the officer involved in the killing of Amir Locke to leadership positions overseeing use-of-force and officer wellness programs.

The group also raised concerns about the leadership of Todd Barnette and questioned Frey’s continued support for his appointment to oversee public safety functions despite what the organization called repeated failures in accountability and oversight.

In announcing O'Hara's resignation, Frey also praised his overall performance as chief since 2022.

“Under his leadership, the department made meaningful progress in several important areas — from reforms, to rebuilding recruitment and retention efforts, to strengthening public safety work across the city,” Frey said. “I remain grateful for his service to Minneapolis and for the work he put into this role.” 

Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell is serving as the city’s acting police chief while the city searches for an interim leader.