Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has resigned, Mayor Jacob Frey confirmed in a letter sent to the police department and obtained by Alpha News and Crime Watch Minneapolis.
Crime Watch and Alpha News were the first to report Tuesday evening that O’Hara was out as chief, a role he assumed in November 2022.
NEW: Multiple sources tell Crime Watch and Alpha News that news is coming down about Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara's removal as police chief.
Stay tuned, we expect to hear more tonight. pic.twitter.com/9dCegJqPU2
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) May 27, 2026
“Today, I received an investigative report with concerning substantiated findings regarding Chief O’Hara’s leadership,” Frey said in his letter.
According to Frey, he told O’Hara that he would face discipline, up to and including termination, and O’Hara resigned.
🚨JUST IN: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey confirms in email to MPD that Police Chief Brian O’Hara has resigned after the mayor received “concerning substantiated findings regarding Chief O’Hara’s leadership.” https://t.co/S7Bvr3whv0 pic.twitter.com/JlfKcyJ7ZB
— Liz Collin (@lizcollin) May 27, 2026
In a letter of reprimand obtained by Crime Watch and Alpha News, Frey told O’Hara that an “investigation into your behavior substantiated that you interfered with a prior investigation.”
“The prior investigation included allegations that you had engaged in sexually intimate relationships with City employees,” Frey wrote.
“Although the investigators have concluded that the underlying allegations from the original investigation remain not substantiated, your interference with the investigation risked the integrity of the investigation and constitutes a significant breach of trust,” he added.
4/
Investigation continued… pic.twitter.com/iESPVHoZpO— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) May 27, 2026
Alpha News reported in March that 30 complaints had been filed against O’Hara during his tenure.
Frey renominated O’Hara to serve another term as chief earlier this month. Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell will serve as acting chief. Blackwell previously sued Alpha News for defamation. She not only lost that case but also signed a declaration admitting that all of the judge’s findings against her were “accurate, true, and correct.”
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Liz Collin
Liz Collin is a multi-Emmy-Award-winning investigative reporter, news anchor, and producer who cares about Minnesota. She is the producer of The Fall of Minneapolis and Minnesota v We the People documentary films, and author of the Amazon best-selling book, They’re Lying: The Media, the Left, and The Death of George Floyd. Her work has prompted important state laws. Yet perhaps most of all, Liz has been giving a voice to the truth—and helping others tell their stories—for more than 20 years.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
