Catch up on the whistleblower allegations against the former Minneapolis police chief
MINNEAPOLIS - Two weeks before Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey nominated Brian O'Hara for a second term as police chief and a month before O'Hara resigned under pressure, city attorneys received a document alleging that a high-ranking veteran officer had been punished by his superiors for providing damaging information to a law firm investigating the chief's conduct.
The document - a draft 32-page lawsuit never filed in court but obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune -alleged among other things that the chief's longtime driver was tasked with duties not related to his job responsibilities.
Here are some takeaways from the draft lawsuit and where the search stands for a new chief:
The whistleblower alleged that the chief's longtime driver, officer Abdisamad Ahmed, was tasked with cleaning up his boss' messes including intimate affairs with subordinates.
The whistleblower also contended that O'Hara asked for immediate updates from internal affairs staff anytime a formal complaint was lodged against Ahmed and hid Ahmed's schedule in the department's time management system following accusations that the officer was working off-duty at the same time he was being paid city overtime. Thus, a pending complaint about the matter was closed.
The Star Tribune could not independently verify every claim in the document. However, some have proved true, including specific complaints against Ahmed and the existence of an audio recording that prompted the reopening of a sexual misconduct investigation of O'Hara. Many of them were also previously relayed to investigators by the whistleblower. The Star Tribune chose to publish these claims given the seriousness of the allegations and the timeline in which they were shared ahead of O'Hara's renomination process.
In response to a detailed list of questions, city officials denied that they have engaged in whistleblower retaliation against any employee and pushed back on the veracity of the document.
"Draft [legal complaints] are not required to conform to any factual or legal standards," Adam Fetcher, Minneapolis' chief communications officer, said in a lengthy statement. "They are often used by lawyers as a means for negotiation to resolve specific disputes and are not formal complaints."
The officials also said Frey didn't know about the draft lawsuit at the time he renominated O'Hara for another four years as chief.
As of Monday Ahmed has not responded to repeated requests from the Star Tribune for comment. Doug Kelley, O'Hara's attorney, has not addressed individual accusations lodged against his client in the document.
The whistleblower alleged that top MPD officials retaliated against him over his participation in the ongoing investigation, which "created an extremely uncomfortable and hostile work environment" that resulted in his forcible transfer while he was on parental leave, according to the draft lawsuit.
Chris Madel, the attorney for the whistleblower, declined to make him available for an interview. Madel drafted the suit and sent it to city attorneys on April 22, threatening to file it in court if the city did not comply with specific demands related to the firm's interview process. Hours later, city attorneys notified him that an interview with his client was no longer necessary.
"If the retaliation continues, I will add a few facts and file it," Madel recently told the Star Tribune.
Following O'Hara's sudden resignation on May 26, Frey appointed Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell as acting chief.
Within a week, Frey named First Precinct Inspector Bill Peterson interim chief. Peterson quickly said he was not interested in seeking the job on a permanent basis.
Frey said the search for a new chief is national in scope and is expected to take about six months. Any nominee must win the approval of the City Council.
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