Mayor's rivals step up attacks on Minneapolis police chief
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Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey address reporters in July 2024. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's leading election opponents have ramped up their criticism of Police Chief Brian O'Hara, faulting Frey's oversight and the chief himself for a string of policing controversies.
Why it matters: November's election could again become a referendum on the management of a long-troubled department still under court orders to rein in misconduct and racially biased enforcement.
State Sen. Omar Fateh has "a lot of major concerns" with O'Hara's performance, the candidate told Axios in an interview. Ultimately, "the buck stops with the mayor," he added.
- Yes, but: Fateh would not say whether he'd replace the chief if elected. "No matter how emphatically passionate I feel about something, I don't act without engaging with community and colleagues."
Frey told Axios that O'Hara has his "full support," saying the chief's experience overseeing police reforms in Newark, N.J., remains invaluable as MPD navigates a similar reform process.
What they're saying: "The facts speak for themselves, and I am proud of the success we have had over the last three years," O'Hara told Axios in a statement.
- "But making change real takes time, and the work is far from over," he added. "The MPD needs continued momentum and steady leadership moving forward."
Friction points: Fateh, DeWayne Davis and Jazz Hampton have all said they would've disciplined O'Hara for MPD's presence at a federal raid on Lake Street that included some immigration agents.
- Frey said the criticism smacked of political opportunism. Discipline O'Hara "for what?" he asked Axios, noting the raid stemmed from a drug and money laundering investigation.
- This week, the city auditor concluded MPD didn't violate a city ordinance forbidding assistance to immigration agents, but also faulted many city officials for poor communication that contributed to public alarm about the raid.
Plus: The challengers also criticized MPD for promoting the officer who killed Amir Locke in a no-knock raid to lead MPD's use-of-force training.
- At last month's DFL convention, Frey said the mayor can't meddle in all personnel decisions and must trust the chief.
- O'Hara later changed course and reassigned the officer.
Hampton recognized the police chief job "comes with real complexity," but told Axios he "has been disappointed recently by some of Chief O'Hara's inactions and decisions … Actions that sow division only set us back."
Davis feels O'Hara's leadership has been "quixotic," but told Axios he blamed the mayor for failing to give the chief clearer direction.
- Davis thought O'Hara's comments to the New York Post criticizing Minneapolis' "detached bourgeois liberal mentality" reflected this disconnect: "That was an expression of frustration [by O'Hara] of not having clarity about what is expected of him."
The other side: Frey credits O'Hara's efforts as key to replenishing MPD's understaffed ranks and curbing crime so far this year.
- "We've got years' worth of work left to do" on improving policing, he told Axios, "but we have put the pieces in place to be making necessary progress."
What we're watching: O'Hara's term ends in January 2026.