Politics

Minneapolis City Council leaders are urging Mayor Jacob Frey to work more closely with lawmakers as the city begins searching for a new police chief after Brian O'Hara's abrupt resignation. The dispute highlights broader tensions over police reform, oversight and power at City Hall.

Minnesota businesses joined a statewide economic strike against federal ICE enforcement, closing in solidarity with immigrant communities and amplifying public pressure on immigration policy.

Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne said Mayor Jacob Frey never disclosed formal investigations into Police Chief Brian O’Hara before renominating him, intensifying scrutiny after O’Hara resigned amid substantiated findings he interfered with a misconduct probe. The dispute has opened a new fight over transparency, police oversight and reform in a city still navigating court-ordered changes.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara resigned on May 26 after Mayor Jacob Frey said an outside investigation found he interfered with a misconduct inquiry into his own conduct. The departure jolts a department still under intense pressure to carry out sweeping reforms after George Floyd's killing.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara resigned on May 26, 2026, after Mayor Jacob Frey said an outside investigation found he interfered with an earlier misconduct probe. The inquiry did not substantiate the underlying allegations of intimate relationships with city employees, but it found O'Hara deleted phone data and discussed the investigation despite orders not to.

Community groups, public agencies and safety advocates are pressing for stronger precautions at the start of the summer season, warning that heat, drowning, road travel and fireworks injuries can escalate quickly as schools let out and families head outdoors. Their message is that prevention, staffing and public awareness can reduce avoidable deaths and injuries.