Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara resigns after internal probe finds he tampered with a prior investigation into his own conduct; council faults Mayor Frey for renominating him without disclosure
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What happened
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara resigned on May 26, 2026 after an internal city investigation found he had tampered with an earlier probe into allegations he had sexual relationships with city employees; the underlying relationship allegations were not substantiated, but the interference finding was what Mayor Jacob Frey called 'a significant breach of trust.' City Council President Elliott Payne and other council members said they were never briefed on the investigations despite Frey renominating O'Hara for a second term on May 6, 2026, and criticized the mayor's lack of transparency. Frey said he does not act on 'rumors and anonymous complaints' but acknowledged he would not have renominated O'Hara had he known.
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What happened next (1)
Mayor Jacob Frey nominated Interim Chief Bill Peterson, chosen from 20 applicants, to lead the Minneapolis Police Department permanently. The City Council has the final say and had not set a vote date; five council members had wanted an outside candidate. Source ↗