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Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara announces structure changes to department

O'Hara said restructuring the department into two divisions will help in their efforts to combat crime while also rebuilding trust within the community.

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara announced major changes to the department Monday afternoon, including how it will operate with its two new divisions.

O'Hara said restructuring the department into two divisions — operations and community engagement — will help in their efforts to combat crime while also rebuilding trust within the community. As part of the new division, O'Hara also announced two new bureaus and a handful of new deputy chiefs.

"The department is in the midst of a defining and historic moment," O'Hara said, "and I am confident with the appointments that I am announcing today, we will have the right people in the right positions to move the MPD out of the darkness and trauma of the last three years to a brighter future together."

Heading the operations division will be Asst. Chief Katie Blackwell, who worked as an inspector and was a prominent witness in the federal civil rights trial of former officers Tou Thao, J Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane for their involvement in George Floyd's murder. 

She was the commander in charge of training the officers and proved to be a key witness during the trial. During her testimony, Blackwell said the officers had a "duty to intervene" and stop former officer Derek Chauvin. Ultimately, all three officers were convicted of violating Floyd's civil rights.

As the leader of the operations division, Blackwell will be in charge of the patrol bureau and the investigations bureau.

"We are shorter-staffed than we've ever been," Blackwell said. "So, for our side of the house, we're being really strategic and deliberate." 

Asst. Chief Christopher Gaiters will lead a community trust and engagement division that features two brand-new bureaus — the internal affairs bureau and the constitutional policing bureau. Gaiters will also be in charge of a restructured professional standards bureau, which will house the training division, administrative services, and technology and support services division.

The Community Trust Division will be the one tasked with implementing reforms based on the state settlement agreement and the eventual DOJ federal consent decree, which is expected in the coming months.

"That's extremely important for us," Gaiters said. "The way it's structured now works best. A whole lot better than the way it was structured before." 

At Monday's press conference, O'Hara expressed confidence in his two internal promotions. 

"The team standing before you today, is the right team for the job," said O'Hara. "Together we will ensure that everyday we center all of our department operations and every decision made through our core goals — reducing the number of crime victims in the city, earning and maintaining trust with our residents, and rebuilding the ranks of this police force while restoring pride in the MPD patch."

The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis released a statement emphasizing the importance of leadership and the role it can play in rebuilding trust within the community. The full statement reads:

The POFM understands the importance of a strong leadership team. Our hope is the leadership changes made by the Chief today will help put the Minneapolis Police Department on a successful path moving forward in improving morale within MPD, navigating the mandated consent decrees, and rebuilding trust in the communities. We look forward to working with the new leadership team.

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