Frey renominates Brian O'Hara as Minneapolis police chief
Mayor Jacob Frey renominated Chief Brian O'Hara for another four-year term as Minneapolis police chief and notified the City Council by letter, a move Frey says would avoid leadership uncertainty.
Frey cited a 33% drop in homicides from the 2021 peak to 64 killings in 2025 and said shootings in north Minneapolis are at an all-time low. He pointed to rising MPD officer applications as progress toward his goal of 800 sworn officers. Chief Brian O'Hara has faced criticism for public comments about the Davis Moturi shooting and the death of Allison Lussier; a city auditor found his statements harmful and inaccurate, and O'Hara has apologized. The City Council has not said whether it will confirm O'Hara, and Frey warned that rejecting him would cause more than a year of "uncertainty and transition."
The episode traces back to the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 and the wave of federal and local scrutiny that followed. Chief Medaria Arradondo retired in January 2022, and Frey nominated O'Hara, who was confirmed in November 2022 for a three-year term as the first chief appointed after Floyd amid a homicide surge that hit 97 killings in 2021 and depleted officer ranks below the charter minimum.
Those reform efforts produced a federal consent decree in January 2025 and a state consent decree that remains in place as of May 2025. The mayor's renomination comes as the Minneapolis Police Department still has nearly 600 sworn officers in 2026, below the city charter minimum of 731 and below Frey's stated 800-officer goal, and as the council wrestles with other contested appointments that could leave city public safety leadership unsettled.
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📊 Relevant Data
The Minneapolis Police Department has nearly 600 sworn officers in 2026, below the city charter's minimum requirement of 731 and the mayor's stated goal of 800. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_Police_Department)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_Police_Department)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_Police_Department)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_Police_Department)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_Police_Department)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_Police_Department))
Minneapolis Police Department — Wikipedia
The Minneapolis Police Department remains under a state consent decree mandating reforms to address unconstitutional policing practices identified after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, following the dismissal of a federal consent decree in May 2025. ([Minnesota Reformer](https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/05/21/trump-administration-withdraws-from-federal-consent-decree-meant-to-reform-minneapolis-police)) ([Minnesota Reformer](https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/05/21/trump-administration-withdraws-from-federal-consent-decree-meant-to-reform-minneapolis-police)) ([Minnesota Reformer](https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/05/21/trump-administration-withdraws-from-federal-consent-decree-meant-to-reform-minneapolis-police)) ([Minnesota Reformer](https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/05/21/trump-administration-withdraws-from-federal-consent-decree-meant-to-reform-minneapolis-police)) ([Minnesota Reformer](https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/05/21/trump-administration-withdraws-from-federal-consent-decree-meant-to-reform-minneapolis-police)) ([Minnesota Reformer](https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/05/21/trump-administration-withdraws-from-federal-consent-decree-meant-to-reform-minneapolis-police))
Trump administration withdraws from federal consent decree meant to reform Minneapolis police — Minnesota Reformer
Between 2016 and 2022, Minneapolis police stopped Black people 6.5 times more often and Native Americans 7.9 times more often than white people. ([MinnPost](https://www.minnpost.com/fact-briefs/2023/06/does-a-department-of-justice-study-show-minneapolis-police-stopped-native-and-black-americans-at-more-than-6-times-the-rate-of-others)) ([MinnPost](https://www.minnpost.com/fact-briefs/2023/06/does-a-department-of-justice-study-show-minneapolis-police-stopped-native-and-black-americans-at-more-than-6-times-the-rate-of-others)) ([MinnPost](https://www.minnpost.com/fact-briefs/2023/06/does-a-department-of-justice-study-show-minneapolis-police-stopped-native-and-black-americans-at-more-than-6-times-the-rate-of-others)) ([MinnPost](https://www.minnpost.com/fact-briefs/2023/06/does-a-department-of-justice-study-show-minneapolis-police-stopped-native-and-black-americans-at-more-than-6-times-the-rate-of-others)) ([MinnPost](https://www.minnpost.com/fact-briefs/2023/06/does-a-department-of-justice-study-show-minneapolis-police-stopped-native-and-black-americans-at-more-than-6-times-the-rate-of-others)) ([MinnPost](https://www.minnpost.com/fact-briefs/2023/06/does-a-department-of-justice-study-show-minneapolis-police-stopped-native-and-black-americans-at-more-than-6-times-the-rate-of-others))
📌 Key Facts
- Mayor Jacob Frey has renominated Chief Brian O'Hara for another four‑year term as Minneapolis police chief and notified the City Council by letter.
- Frey cites a 33% homicide drop from the 2021 peak to 64 killings in 2025 and says shootings in north Minneapolis are at an all‑time low, with MPD officer applications rising toward a goal of 800 sworn officers.
- O'Hara is under fire for his public comments in the Davis Moturi shooting and Allison Lussier death; a city auditor said his statements were harmful and inaccurate and O'Hara has since apologized.
- The City Council has not indicated whether it will confirm O'Hara, while Public Safety Commissioner Toddrick Barnette’s appointment remains contested and could expire automatically on August 3 if the council takes no action.
- Frey warns that rejecting O'Hara would mean more than a year of "uncertainty and transition" and risk stalling what he calls a dramatic turnaround at MPD.
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