By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced on June 2, 2026, that First Precinct Inspector Bill Peterson will serve as interim chief of the Minneapolis Police Department.
- Peterson, a 30-year MPD veteran, replaces acting Chief Katie Blackwell, who had been leading the department for several days following the resignation of Chief Brian O’Hara.
- O’Hara resigned approximately one week earlier amid findings that he interfered in an active sexual misconduct investigation.
- Peterson has overseen policing in the city’s downtown corridor and surrounding neighborhoods since 2019 and has led MPD responses to several major incidents over the course of his career.
- A national search for a permanent police chief is underway; senior MPD leadership has publicly expressed a preference for an internal candidate to fill the role permanently.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced June 2, 2026, that First Precinct Inspector Bill Peterson has been appointed interim chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, one week after the resignation of Chief Brian O’Hara.
O’Hara departed the position following findings that he interfered in an ongoing sexual misconduct investigation within the department. Acting Chief Katie Blackwell assumed day-to-day command of the department in the days immediately following O’Hara’s departure. Peterson, who will now serve as interim chief, is a 30-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department and has led policing in the downtown district and adjacent neighborhoods since 2019.
In announcing the appointment, Mayor Frey stated that Peterson had spent three decades serving Minneapolis and had earned the trust of officers throughout the department. “Bill understands that trust is earned, and he has established a reputation of working every day to earn it,” Frey said.
In his own statement, Peterson said he felt compelled to accept the role given the current needs of the department. “At a time when the Minneapolis Police Department needs experienced, steady leadership, I am honored to serve and ready to lead,” Peterson said, adding that his priorities would include maintaining stability, supporting officers, strengthening community trust, and ensuring public safety citywide.
Over the course of his three-decade career, Peterson has held leadership positions in several divisions of the department, including special operations, violent crimes investigations, and precinct patrol. He has led MPD responses to major incidents including the 2007 Interstate 35W bridge collapse, the 2011 North Side tornado, periods of civil unrest, and large-scale public safety operations including Super Bowl LII in 2018. Peterson is described by colleagues as preferring operational work over public-facing roles, and is known within the department and among downtown business stakeholders for his long tenure overseeing the city’s entertainment district.
Following O’Hara’s resignation, MPD’s senior leadership team met with Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette and conveyed a collective preference for the permanent chief to be selected from within the department. Mayor Frey subsequently attended a weekly MSTAT crime briefing to encourage qualified internal candidates to apply. A formal national search for a permanent chief is ongoing.