Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara announced today a restructuring of the Minneapolis Police Department and a new leadership team that will help the department deliver the highest quality public safety services as well as earn and maintain the trust of the people of Minneapolis.

Since he was sworn in last November, Chief O’Hara has been working to institute significant organizational structure changes so that our department structure reflects our mission and enables us to have greater accountability over our efforts to reduce victims of crime which will earn us trust with our community. Despite statutory hurdles, thanks to the support of Mayor Jacob Frey, Senator Ron Latz and Representatives Kelly Moller and Sydney Jordan in the Minnesota State Legislature, the Minneapolis City Council, and the City’s IGR team led by Director Katie Topinka and Steve Huser, the department is now able to move forward as an organization that can provide our residents and our officers the leadership structure that they need.

“Today is a historic day for the Minneapolis Police Department,” stated Chief O’Hara. “With the change in state law, and with the support of our Mayor and city council, we are able to bring the MPD in line with best practices among other similarly situated major cities, particularly those facing court mandated reforms.  I am confident with appointments I am announcing today that 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, and into a brighter future together.”

This new structure will include two assistant chiefs and five deputy chiefs.  The department is being reorganized into two halves so that the structure reflects the mission to reduce crime and earn people’s trust. The two halves will consist of Operations and Community Trust. 

The Assistant Chief of Operations will have command over the Patrol Bureau and the Investigations Bureau which will remain largely unchanged in operation and organization.

The new Assistant Chief of Community Trust will have command over the new Constitutional Policing Bureau, the new Internal Affairs Bureau, and the restructured Professional Standards Bureau.

• The new Constitutional Policing Bureau will house the MPD Implementation Unit, coordinate with the City Attorney’s office and other city departments, as well as serve as the liaison with the community and other stakeholders to implement and achieve compliance with the state settlement agreement and any resulting federal consent decree. 
• The new Internal Affairs Bureau will house an internal complaints section, a force investigations section, and candidate investigations section. 
• The restructured Professional Standards Bureau will house the Training Division, Administrative Services, and Technology and Support Services Division.

In addition to these changes to the Executive Staff, Chief O’Hara also appointed to two new Inspectors to fill openings created in part by the restructuring. The new Inspectors will be assigned to the 2^nd and 5^th Precincts.

Chief O’Hara also added, “I want to acknowledge the great work of our current command staff.  Since I became chief of police, the members of the current command staff have been responsive, have been loyal to their oaths, and have served with professionalism and respect.  I am thankful to all of them for their service.”

The new appointments are as follows:

Assistant Chief of Operations Katie Blackwell

• Assistant Chief Blackwell has faithfully served the City of Minneapolis for 23 years.
• She was raised in Northeast Minneapolis and began her MPD career as a Community Service Officer.
• As an officer, she worked patrol in all five Precincts, with the Precinct 1 Community Response Team, and the Violent Offender Task Force.
• As a sergeant, she served as an investigator in the Sex Crimes Unit, the Assault Unit, the Violent Crimes Investigative Team, the Homicide Unit, as a trainer in the Training Division, and as a Patrol Sergeant in the 1st and 4th Precincts. She also served as a supervisor for the Crisis Negotiations Team. 
• As a lieutenant, she provided leadership to the Leadership and Organization Development Division and in the Training Unit with a focus on Field Training and Leadership Development programs.
• As a commander, she oversaw the Training Division.
• Since 2019, she has served as the Inspector of the MPD’s 5th Precinct.
• Assistant Chief Blackwell has had a distinguished 25-year military career during which she has served in many leadership roles. Assistant Chief Blackwell is currently the highest-ranking female, Non-Commissioned Officer in the Minnesota Army National Guard currently serving in the 84th Troop Command, 34th Infantry Division the rank of Brigade Command Sergeant Major. She was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of the NATO Peacekeeping mission and had an extended combat tour as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Her military service has been recognized with numerous awards and commendations including the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, and the Combat Action Badge. 
• Assistant Chief Blackwell is a graduate of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota with a M.A. in Public Safety Administration and a B.S. in Police Science. Katie is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy.
• As the Assistant Chief of Operations, she will have oversight of the day-to-day law enforcement and investigation operations.

Assistant Chief of Community Trust Christopher Gaiters

• Assistant Chief Gaiters has faithfully served the Minneapolis Police Department for 29 years.
• A native of Ohio, Assistant Chief Gaiters holds a Master of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and an Associate in Applied Science degree.
• As an officer, Assistant Chief Gaiters serving in various roles within the Fifth Precinct, Third Precinct, Organized Crime Unit, Community Response Team, Minneapolis Police Department’s Gang Unit, the Anti-Terrorism Unit, the Intelligence Sharing and Analysis Center, and DEA-liaison investigator, for the Minneapolis Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
• As a sergeant, Assistant Chief Gaiters was assigned to the Homicide Unit, where he spent the next 14 years trying to bring justice to families who lost loved ones to violent crimes.
• He has also served as an Adjunct Faculty member at local universities and colleges, in Minnesota.
• In 2022, Assistant Chief Gaiters was promoted to be the Chief of Staff of the Minneapolis Police Department and assigned to lead the Community Engagement and Outreach Bureau, where he led efforts in recruitment, hiring, CSO programs, internships, and engagement with the people of Minneapolis.
• As the new Assistant Chief of Community Trust, Gaiters will oversee our long-term work to engage community members, recruit new officers and assist the vulnerable and unhoused of our city, while supervising the professional standards, internal affairs, and the constitutional policing bureaus.

Deputy Chief of Patrol Jon Kingsbury

• Deputy Chief Jon Kingsbury has faithfully served the Minneapolis Police Department for 28 years.
• As a young officer, he worked patrol in the 4th Precinct on the Middle and Dog-Watch shifts.
• As s a sergeant, he served as a Patrol Sergeant in the 4th and 5th Precincts, in the Training Unit, and as part of the Special Operations Division Patrol
• As a Lieutenant, he provided leadership in the 3rd and 5th Precincts as well as within the Special Operations and Intelligence Division.
• Promoted to Commander in 2021, he has led the Special Operations and Intelligence Division.
• Deputy Chief Kingsbury has experience in crisis planning and response, having assisted in the planning for large-scale events including the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2014, Superbowl 52 in 2018, and the Men’s NCAA Final Four Tournament in 2019.
• Deputy Chief Kingsbury has a BA from the University of Minnesota and a Juris Doctor from Hamline University School of Law. He has extensive training in operations, special event management, NIMS/ICS, and has successfully completed the Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command
• As Deputy Chief of Patrol, he will lead our five Precinct Inspectors and the day-to-day operations of the Patrol division.

Deputy Chief of Investigations Jason Case

• Deputy Chief Case has faithfully served the Minneapolis Police Department for 25 years.
• Deputy Chief Case holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Services with an emphasis in criminal justice from Metropolitan State University and has attended the Senior Management Institute for Police sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), at Boston University.
• Prior to joining the MPD, Deputy Chief Case served our nation as a military police officer in both the US Army and the Army National Guard, attaining the rank of sergeant.
• As an officer, Deputy Chief Case was assigned to various shifts in the 2nd and 3rd Precincts, as well as the Violent Offender Task Force and the Intelligence Sharing Analysis Center.
• As a sergeant, Deputy Chief Case was assigned to Internal Affairs and to 2nd Precinct investigations.
• As a lieutenant, Deputy Chief Case held patrol and investigations positions in the 2nd and 4th Precinct.
• As a commander, Deputy Chief Case has led the Leadership & Organizational Development Division, the Internal Affairs Division, the Violent Crimes Division, and before this new appointment, led the Strategic Operations Division.
• As head of the Investigations Division, Deputy Chief Case will supervise criminal investigations, including oversight of the Forensics Division, the Special Crimes Investigations Division, and the Violent Crimes Investigations Division.

Deputy Chief of Constitutional Policing Travis Glampe

• Deputy Chief Travis Glampe has faithfully served the City of Minneapolis for over 29 years.
• As an officer, he worked on patrol in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Precincts.
• As a sergeant, he served as an investigator in Traffic Investigations, Precinct Investigations and License Investigations.
• As a lieutenant, he provided oversight in the License Investigations Unit, Sex Crimes Unit, 1st Night Watch Patrol, and Internal Affairs.
• He has previously served 5 years in the role of Deputy Chief of the Professional Standards Bureau.
• For the past 6 years, he has served as the Commander of the Technology and Support Services Division.
• He has earned a law degree from the William Mitchell College of Law and is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Policing held by the Police Executive Research Forum.
• As Deputy Chief of Constitutional Policing, his leadership will provide oversight for the bureau that houses the implementation unit, coordinates with the city attorney’s office and other city departments, as well as serves as the liaison with the community and other stakeholders to implement and achieve compliance with the state settlement agreement and any resulting federal consent decree.

Deputy Chief of Internal Affairs DeChristopher Granger

• Deputy Chief DeChristopher Granger has faithfully served the city of Minneapolis on the Minneapolis Police Department for 28 years.
• As an Officer, he worked patrol in the 5th Precinct, the Community Response Team, and as a Field Training Officer.
• As a Sergeant, he served as a Patrol Sergeant in the 4th Precinct, the Special Operations Division, and as a Homicide Unit Investigator.
• As a Lieutenant, he led in the 4th Precinct as a Patrol Lieutenant.
• He also served as a Commander in the Internal Affairs Unit, Violent Crimes Investigation Division, Administrative Services Division, and as the Super Bowl Intel and Investigations Section Chief. He was recently reassigned to the Internal Affairs Division. 
• He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in sociology from Augsburg University and is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute’s Administrative Officers Course and the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police.
• As the Deputy Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau, he will oversee the internal complaints section, the force investigations section, and the candidate investigations section.

Deputy Chief of Professional Standards Mark Montgomery

• Deputy Chief Mark Montgomery has faithfully served the city of Minneapolis for 28 years.
• Montgomery’s mother was St. Paul’s first female patrol officer.
• A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Deputy Chief Montgomery played football for the Badgers and was on the Rose Bowl championship of 1994.
• As an officer, he worked patrol in the 1st Precinct, the MPD Public Housing Unit, Traffic Enforcement Unit, Traffic Enforcement Motor Unit, and an MPD Motorcycle Instructor.
• As a Sergeant, he served as an Internal Affairs Investigator, Traffic Enforcement Patrol Sergeant, and Precinct 4 Patrol Shift Sergeant.
• As a Lieutenant, he has provided leadership in the Administrative Services Division, Early Intervention System, Body Worn Cameras (BWC), Procedural Justice Ambassador, Precinct 4 Patrol, Precinct 4 Investigations, and the Internal Affairs Unit.
• As the Deputy Chief of Professional Standards, Montgomery will oversee the Training Division, Administrative Services, and the Technology and Support Services Division.

2nd Precinct Inspector Nick Torborg

• Inspector Torborg has faithfully served the Minneapolis Police Department for almost 30 years.
• Nick Torborg is a proud native of Northeast Minneapolis, graduating from De La Salle High School and later from the College of St. Thomas.
• After working in the private sector for six years after college, Torborg was hired as a Police Cadet in July of 1993, and was subsequently sworn in as a Minneapolis Police Officer in February of 1994.
• As an officer, Inspector Torborg spent the next 13 years working 4th Precinct on various shifts.
• As a sergeant, Inspector Torborg continued working shifts in the 4th Precinct and on the Special Operations Division. He was also assigned to the Robbery Unit as an investigator.
• As a lieutenant, he was assigned to the Sex Crimes Unit and later as a patrol lieutenant in the 1st Precinct, where he served until his promotion to Inspector.
• As Inspector of the 2nd Precinct, he will oversee patrol and investigations in the area bounded by the Mississippi River on the west and south, 37th Avenue NE on the north, and the cities of St. Anthony and St. Paul on the east.

5th Precinct Inspector Christie Nelson

• Newly appointed 5th Precinct Inspector Christie Nelson has faithfully served the Minneapolis Police Department for nearly 26 years.
• A native of Burnsville, Inspector Nelson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. She joined MPD as a cadet in 1997.
• As an officer, she held patrol positions in the 3rd and 5th Precincts.
• As a sergeant, she held patrol leadership positions in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Precincts, along with roles in Juvenile Investigations, the Special Operations Division, and the Narcotics Unit.
• After her promotion to Lieutenant, she held patrol leadership positions in the 2nd and 3rd Precincts.
• As Inspector of the 5th Precinct, Inspector Nelson will be overseeing patrol and investigations in the area bounded by I-35W in the East, I-94 on the North, and the city limits on the West and South.