The Minneapolis police chief, Brian O\u2019Hara, who drew national attention for taking the reins of a department reeling after the murder of George Floyd, resigned on Tuesday after a personnel investigation into his conduct, the city announced.<\/p>\n
Records obtained by The New York Times showed that Mr. O\u2019Hara had received a written reprimand from Mayor Jacob Frey on Tuesday for what he described as \u201cserious misconduct.\u201d<\/p>\n
An investigative report commissioned by the city found that Mr. O\u2019Hara had likely deleted a contact from his phone last year while facing a previous internal investigation into allegations that he had sexual relationships with city workers. The report found no evidence that Mr. O\u2019Hara had engaged in any such relationships, but said the apparent deletion of that contact likely amounted to interference in the initial investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour behavior, as substantiated by the investigation, demonstrates poor judgment, is inconsistent with the level of integrity this role requires, and has made it extraordinarily difficult for you to continue effectively in your role,\u201d Mr. Frey wrote in his letter on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Mr. O\u2019Hara did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
Jennifer Lor, a city spokeswoman, said that Mr. O\u2019Hara was the subject of 17 additional personnel complaints that remain open, though she would not describe them. She said reviews into those complaints would continue.<\/p>\n
When he was hired in November 2022, Mr. O\u2019Hara inherited a police force in crisis.<\/p>\n
Resignations were piling up, mistrust was rampant and a state report had found that the department had engaged in racially discriminatory policing<\/a>, failed to hold officers accountable for misconduct and used fake social media accounts to target Black people and organizations.<\/p>\n Many in Minneapolis doubted whether the department should even exist. Shortly after Mr. Floyd\u2019s death, a majority of City Council members backed disbanding the police department<\/a>. In 2021, Minneapolis voters decided to keep the department<\/a>, even as many expressed deep dissatisfaction with the way their city had been patrolled.<\/p>\n More recently, Mr. O\u2019Hara received extensive national news coverage during a federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota by the Trump administration<\/a>. That campaign, which the administration said was necessary to root out illegal immigration and fraud, touched off widespread protests and led to three shootings by agents. The police chief was searingly critical<\/a> of the conduct of the federal agents who were sent to Minnesota starting late last year. He asserted that agents had engaged in widespread racial profiling and that they had used excessive force in interactions with residents.<\/p>\n Mr. O\u2019Hara weathered other crises during his time in Minneapolis. Last August, he and his department were praised for the speedy response to a shooting at a church that left two children dead and several wounded.<\/p>\n