Conor Wight joined WCCO after cultivating his skills as an award-winning investigative reporter in Syracuse, NY. As a newcomer to Minnesota, he's excited to explore this beautiful state and all that the Twin Cities have to offer.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara is facing a newer batch of conduct complaints, and he believes many of them are directly related to Operation Metro Surge.
According to city data, there have been a total of 30 complaints levied against O'Hara over the course of his tenure. The Office of Community Safety has closed eight of them, concluding no discipline is necessary. Twenty-two remain open, with the Star Tribune reporting that 15 of them were made since September.
O'Hara, who took the job in the spotlight after a now-former officer murdered George Floyd in 2020, was once again on the national stage during the ICE surge.
He faced criticism from both sides of the political spectrum for how he responded to federal immigration operations, which is what he believes is behind the newer complaints.
"Apparently since the surge, the number of complaints have doubled, which I think that says something about it right there," O'Hara told WCCO.
The chief noted that he is not notified when a complaint is filed against him and acknowledges he does not know the specifics behind these complaints. Those details are kept secret unless the Office of Community Safety concludes that punitive action is necessary. This means that members of the public are also unable to see who submitted these 30 complaints and why.
Professor Rachel Moran, a police accountability expert with the University of St. Thomas School of Law, said that the number of complaints does stick out to her. Data shows that O'Hara's predecessor, Medaria Arradondo, had just two complaints on file.
But Moran notes that there is simply no way of knowing, for the time being, if O'Hara is facing serious accusations. The complaints can be lodged by a fellow police officer or a member of the public from just about anywhere in the country. City residency is not a requirement to submit a complaint.
"Virtually anyone could be filing these, and they could be really valid and important to look into or just someone with a grudge, and we don't know," Moran said.
In a statement, Mayor Jacob Frey offered support for O'Hara.
"Chief O'Hara has led the police department through multiple incredibly difficult crises, helped to rebuild the police department and strengthened trust between our neighbors and police officers," Frey said in the emailed statement. "I take any and all personnel complaints seriously and the City investigates as appropriate. The Minneapolis Police Chief is a high-profile position in a city where policing is a topic of significant public interest, and the public complaint process is highly valued."
Frey's statement did not directly respond to WCCO's question about whether he intends to renominate O'Hara for the job. According to the city's charter, Frey has until August to do so.
When asked if he expects to get the nomination from Frey, O'Hara said "yes."
"I think it's very clear that there's been results over the past three and a half years here. There's been significant change in the police department, it's been positive," O'Hara said. "We have both been reforming the police department while we've been rebuilding it."
WCCO reached out to Minneapolis Police Officers Federation president Lt. Sherral Schmidt, who did not immediately respond.