Minneapolis mayor re-nominates Police Chief O'Hara: "He's the right leader for this moment"

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced Thursday morning he's nominating Police Chief Brian O'Hara for another term, saying "he's the right leader for this moment."

During a news conference, Frey cited O'Hara's leadership amid myriad crises the city has recently faced, including Operation Metro Surge and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti; last summer's attacks on Minnesota lawmakers; the deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School; and the 2024 killing of officer Jamal Mitchell.

"We saw Chief Brian O'Hara encountering some of the most difficult moments that our city has ever faced, and he did so with poise," Frey said.

Frey also noted crime in the city "is down in virtually every category," highlighting that "shootings are at an all-time record low for north Minneapolis." He also pointed to the 200% boom in police officer applications after a steep drop in staffing following the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a now-former officer.

"While we bottomed out at 550 officers, we're now upwards of 640, and it is our goal to get to the charter minimum of 730 by the end of next year," Frey said.

The mayor also issued a warning of sorts to the City Council, saying the city "cannot afford to hit the reset button."

"If the Council chooses not to support this nomination, they need to be very clear eyed about the consequences," Frey said. "It means perhaps more than a year of uncertainty and transition, it also means losing critical momentum at a time when consistency matters most."

"The honor of a lifetime"

O'Hara, who stood beside Frey during the conference, said he is "truly humbled and honored" by the nomination.

"I remain fully committed today to continuing this work as I was in September of 2022," O'Hara said. "And our mission continues to build a police department that all residents of this city can be proud of. One that keeps people safe, earns community trust and reflects the values of this community in every interaction."

The chief also thanked his family for sharing him with the people of Minneapolis.

"My family has sacrificed their time, their privacy, holidays, school and sporting events and priceless moments so that I could serve this city. I would not be standing here today without their love, patience and support," he said. "This profession is a calling. Leading this department has been the honor of a lifetime."

As for the next steps, a spokesperson for the mayor's office gave this statement to WCCO:

The item would be in front of City Council for a public hearing at the Committee of Whole meeting on June 9, with a final vote on June 11. That is our goal by submitting the renomination letter [Wednesday] night. However, these dates would need to be determined by Council President [Elliott] Payne, which he has not yet committed to.

Will the City Council push back?

Frey's support comes amid a number of complaints from the community against O'Hara since the surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers began in January. Back in April, in a statement to WCCO, Frey responded to those complaints.

"Chief O'Hara has led the police department through multiple incredibly difficult crises, helped to rebuild the police department and strengthened trust between our neighbors and police officers," Frey said. "I take any and all personnel complaints seriously, and the City investigates as appropriate."

When WCCO spoke with O'Hara in April, he didn't address the complaints, but did talk about the challenges of the job.  

"This is the only city where we've had to try and rebuild the police department and at the same time have significant consent degree reforms to enact, so it's an incredibly challenging situation and there's been numerous crisis and things that we've lived through here, and I think the police department has done a great job handling all of it," O'Hara said.

Frey has already made one of his nominations, reappointing Todd Barnette last month as the commissioner of community safety. Members of the Minneapolis City Council voted against Barnette's confirmation, which Frey then vetoed, and the City Council fell short on votes to override it.

It's possible that same fate could await O'Hara. City councilors raised several issues with the Minneapolis Police Department while discussing Barnette's effectiveness, which in turn put O'Hara back into the spotlight as well.

During the vote over Barnette, Frey accused councilors of playing politics.

"The vote that happened today was neither about Todd Barnette's qualifications, nor was it about his record," Frey said last month. "The vote that took place today was about vote trading and political gamesmanship."

Last month, Frey said he wanted to take care of cabinet position nominations before nominating department heads like O'Hara.