Police Chief Resigns Just Weeks After Nomination
Just weeks after Mayor Frey challenged the City Council to support the re-nomination of his Police Chief, that same Chief has resigned under threat of discharge by that same Mayor. It is hard to remember a more dramatic climbdown in recent city politics. But for this Mayor, it is one of a series of high profile public safety hires to end in disappointment. We talk through what was said, speculate on what actually happened, review the O'Hara Era, and talk about what could and should happen next. Stick around past hour two if you want some Rocco Forte talk.
Recorded 5/27/26.
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O'Hara Resignation
- Frey Press Conference Announcing Resignation
- Council Pres. Payne, CMs Chavez and Wonsley Response Press Conference
- KSTP: Timeline of O'Hara Era
The O'Hara Investigation-Interference Investigation Report
- Law Firm Investigation Report on O'Hara Interference
- Timeline from the report:
- Dec 15, 2025: new witness appears
- Forsgren Fisher finds that there is sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations that Chief O’Hara interfered with the Original Investigation.
- Dec 22 they interview Witness A
- ICE INVASION DELAY
- March 17 they interview Employee 1
- March 24 interviewed alleged sex partner
- April 17 O'Hara interviewed
- May 15 Barnette interviewed
- May 19 got evidence from city
- May 26 report is signed and delivered
Interesting Excerpts
In his interview on May 12, 2025—during the Original Investigation—Commissioner Barnette recalled that the only time Chief O’Hara became upset during the May 1, 2025, meeting was when it was communicated to him that his phone needed to be imaged immediately
In his interview on May 15, 2026—during this investigation—Commissioner Barnette reported that he knew on May 1, 2025, that there had been issues overcoming the phone’s security features to image it. Commissioner Barnette reported that, on May 1, 2025, he informed Chief O’Hara that he would need the phone again, because the phone’s security features meant that the image had not been fully completed.
Chief O’Hara and Commissioner Barnette agreed that when Commissioner Barnette took Chief O’Hara’s phone to the BCA to be imaged, Chief O’Hara would get a new one and tell City employees that he had lost his old phone
Aside from Employee 2’s personal phone number, there is not another contact card that appears in Image 1, but not in Image 2. In other words, Employee 2’s personal- number contact card is the only contact card [deleted]
Employee 2 said that she did not know how Chief O’Hara came to have her personal phone number.
But after further questioning in the April 17 interview, Chief O’Hara reversed course. He then stated that he had sent a text message to Employee 2 to connect her with another City employee
When asked to explain why Chief O’Hara had Employee 2’s personal number saved in his personal phone, he said that he believed there had been a photo taken of him, Employee 2, and other City employees, and that the photo must have been taken on his personal device.
O'Hara Renomination Campaign
Just weeks prior to these events, Mayor Frey began publicly campaigning for the City Council to approve his re-nomination. There were already reports in the media that O'Hara might lack the votes.