The Minneapolis police chief who reminded his officers last year of their “duty to intervene” with ICE agents is now out of a job after allegedly interfering with a sexual misconduct probe against him.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara chose to resign rather than face disciplinary action up to and including discharge, Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters during a press conference.
O’Hara instructed the public during a December press conference to “call 911” should masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents make arrests. He was hired in May 2022 to oversee policing reforms in Minneapolis following George Floyd’s death and the subsequent city riots.
Minneapolis still has 17 open allegations of misconduct against O’Hara and will continue to investigate them, said Jennifer Lor, a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office, according to The Associated Press.
Frey nominated O’Hara for a second term as police chief at the beginning of May, although several complaints had already been made against O’Hara alleging that he was engaging in sexual relationships with city employees.
Reporters pushed Frey about the year-long timespan between the first allegations and O’Hara’s resignation, as well as Frey’s decision not to fire the police chief. (RELATED: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Remembers George Floyd Ahead Of Troops On Memorial Day)
“We did not know then what we do know now,” Frey said. “If I had known earlier, I would not have renominated him.”
Allegations against O’Hara were submitted to the mayor’s office beginning in May 2025. Frey said the claims were not substantiated after “tons of witnesses were interviewed” by a private investigator hired to handle the case. The investigations were closed and released to the public in the summer of 2025.
A new investigation, opened in May 2026, discovered that O’Hara had likely “knowingly and intentionally” interfered with the probe into his conduct. The investigator’s report claimed that O’Hara deleted a contact card on his government-issued cell phone in an attempt to hide evidence, according to MPR News.
Although the contact of the employee was deleted by May 7, 2025, O’Hara denied deleting the contact card in interviews during April and June, according to NBC News.
O’Hara also reportedly told another government employee that his phone had been taken after he was instructed not to disclose information about the investigation to anyone.
Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference regarding Brian O’Hara’s resignation as Minneapolis police chief. pic.twitter.com/UboRksCnY7
— KSTP (@KSTP) May 27, 2026
Frey met with O’Hara on Tuesday morning and gave him a report with a “serious misconduct” reprimand.
“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,” Frey’s report said, according to CBS News.
Frey accepted O’Hara’s resignation at the press conference, saying, “Chief O’Hara has served this city through extraordinarily difficult moments in Minneapolis’ history, including the shooting at Annunciation and Operation Metro Surge.” (RELATED: Minnesota Cops Surrender Entire City Blocks To Lawless Rioters)
Frey announced that Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell will serve as the acting chief, “effective immediately.”
The Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Metro Surge in December, arresting illegal immigrants in the Twin Cities, including “pedophiles, rapists, and violent thugs.” During a press conference in response to the arrests, O’Hara advised the public to “report” masked ICE officials, saying the police would “immediately respond” and “document” the individuals.
The Daily Caller submitted a public records request Wednesday to the City of Minneapolis for files related to O’Hara’s investigation.
The Minneapolis mayor’s office did not immediately respond to the Caller’s request for comment.