MPD Chief announces new positions, ‘reconfiguration’ of police department

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The chief of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) has announced a reconfiguration of the police force that he says will provide the leadership and support necessary to enact the reform, “that is deserved by those who are served by MPD and those who serve within MPD.”

Two proposals from MPD Chief Brian O’Hara were previously approved by the Minneapolis City Council and create two new bureaus within MPD – the Bureau of Internal Affairs, and the Bureau of Constitutional Policing.

“We’re ready to fully implement an unprecedented department reorganization. I see a department that is turning the tide in the resiliency against violence by the sheer will of officers who decided to remain in the MPD,” said O’Hara on Monday. “Minneapolis must be the model for healing shared trauma. The department is in the midst of a defining and historic moment.”

On Aug. 3, a request was approved to accept new changes in state law, eliminating the previous statute that capped the number of deputy chiefs that the MPD could appoint. A second approved request allowed the creation of two new deputy chief positions to oversee the departments.

The two new bureaus and deputy chief positions will, “Give officers the structure and support they need and deserve,” according to O’Hara, without adding any disruption to current MPD services.