Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara resigned from his position on Tuesday, after investigators determined he tampered with their probe into allegations he was guilty of sexual misconduct.Mayor Jacob Frey confirmed O’Hara stepped down during a press conference. O’Hara resigned after Frey informed him that he would take disciplinary action, including discharge, due to the results of an investigation into O’Hara’s conduct, according to the mayor.“When trust is broken, it becomes extremely difficult to continue leading effectively,” Frey said, calling the move an “extremely painful” decision.
“The MPD has worked hard to rebuild credibility and trust with the community and within its own ranks,” Frey added. “Our staff and residents need to know that they can trust not just the department, but also the person leading it.”
The saga started when an outside investigation was conducted last year into allegations that O’Hara had sexual relationships with city employees. The investigation concluded it could not substantiate the allegations.
But a subsequent report probing O’Hara determined that there is “sufficient evidence” to support allegations that the chief deleted a contact from his phone in order to obscure his connection to a witness in the sexual misconduct investigation.
