Who is Katie Blackwell, acting chief of Minneapolis Police Department?

Katie Blackwell, the assistant chief of operations for Minneapolis police will serve as acting chief of the department after Brian O'Hara resigned Tuesday evening.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the move is effective immediately. 

"I have full confidence that she will provide stability, continuity, and strong leadership for the department during this transition," Frey said.

O'Hara resigned following an internal probe into his conduct; an investigation revealed he had shielded evidence of allegations that he had "engaged in sexual intimate relationships" with city employees.  

In 2023, O'Hara appointed Blackwell to the assistant chief of operations role amid a mass restructuring of the police department. 

Before that, Blackwell was an inspector at the 5th Precinct and led training for the department. She has spent more than 20 years with the Minneapolis Police Department.

In 2021, she testified during Derek Chauvin's murder trial. After viewing a photo of Chauvin with his knee on George Floyd's neck, she said, "I don't know what kind of improvised position that is, so that's not what we train."

She again testified in 2022 during the federal civil rights trial of Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, saying that the actions of the three former officers were "inconsistent" with the department's policy on duty to intervene. 

A Northeast Minneapolis native, Blackwell served nearly three decades in the Minnesota National Guard, rising to the rank of command sergeant major. She was deployed to Iraq and Bosnia, and has received both the Bronze Star and Purple Heart during her military service. 

Blackwell retired from military service at the end of last year.