Minneapolis police hire civilian bureau chiefs to lead internal affairs, constitutional policing efforts
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara announced Monday that he hired two civilians to lead bureaus within the department in what he said marked a "historic change" within the city's police force.
Ayodele Famodu will serve as the chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau and Ganesha Martin as the chief of the Constitutional Policing Bureau. They're the first civilians to hold executive positions within the Minneapolis Police Department. In the past, only sworn officers had taken on the roles.
They will lead the department as it navigates a federal consent decree and a court-ordered settlement agreement with the state of Minnesota. Investigations from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights found city police had engaged in a pattern of race-based discrimination.
O'Hara said he had personally recruited Famodu and Martin, mirroring moves other large cities such as Los Angeles and Philadelphia have made to include civilians among their executive leadership staff.
"These new leaders bring invaluable experience and expertise that will help guide our continued transformation as a forward-thinking, community-focused department," said O'Hara.
Famodu previously worked as the assistant attorney general for the State of Minnesota. In her new role she will oversee all internal investigations and guide the internal affairs division, force investigations team and candidate investigations.
Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau Ayodele Famodu (left), Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara (center), Chief of the Constitutional Policing Bureau Ganesha Martin (right)
Martin worked as the chief of staff to the Baltimore police commissioner and guided the Baltimore police through federal consent decree compliance from 2015 to 2018.
"It's an honor and privilege to join the Minneapolis Police Department, both sworn-in civilians have committed to restructuring, building, transparency and trust within the community," said Famodu.
"I really try to focus in this work in centering the voices of both police and community. I think that's the only way that you can have sustainable reform," Martin said.
The pair bring a "higher level of expertise than anything the department has had before," O'Hara said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Woman accused in deadly shooting of 8-year-old boy enters guilty plea
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A woman accused of being connected to the deadly shooting of an 8-year-old boy entered a guilty plea. On June 17, Brianna Crump, 20, withdrew her not guilty plea and pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. As part of her guilty plea, Crump is ordered to serve three years of active probation, as well as complete required training and 75 hours of community service. On Nov. 27, 2024, Baton Rouge Police officers were called to Swan Avenue after a drive-by shooting. Officers confirmed that one child, Diellon Daniels, died from his injuries. Daniels' mother and his five siblings were struck by gunfire. Police identified Yancey Jarrell, Tremell Harris, Roger Parker, and Kendrick Profit as suspects in the shooting. All were arrested and formally charged with first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder, assault by drive-by shooting, and illegal use of weapons during a crime of violence. Yarnell Crump was charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and five counts of attempted first-degree murder. Demarcus Parker was charged with obstruction of justice. Crump's next court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 11. Gas prices rise in Baton Rouge; experts warn global tensions could push them higher Port Allen residents seek justice after fatal shooting Greaux Healthy Initiative targets Louisiana's childhood obesity crisis Have you seen them? LSU billboards go up across the state minutes after national championship victory Woman accused in deadly shooting of 8-year-old boy enters guilty plea Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
SC Attorney General Alan Wilson kicks off bid for governor. 5 things to know
Attorney General Alan Wilson launched his bid Monday for the Republican nomination for governor, as the state's top prosecutor looks to become the state's top executive. 'Today is a pivotal moment for our state,' Wilson said in his remarks. 'The future of South Carolina depends on leadership that is battle-tested and committed to conservative values.' Wilson is the second of the top potential Republican candidates to formally jump into the race, following state Sen. Josh Kimbrell's announcement, for the GOP nomination to succeed Gov. Henry McMaster, who can't run for reelection in 2026. Wilson is South Carolina's attorney general. He was first elected in 2010. His adoptive father is U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson who adopted Alan Wilson when he was four years old. Joe Wilson had married Alan's mother Roxanne. Alan Wilson's biological father Michael McCrory died in a military helicopter training accident when Alan was two-years-old. Alan Wilson has served in the Army National Guard for nearly 30 years, which includes a combat tour in Iraq. He has the rank of colonel. He is currently paid $208,000 a year to be the state's top prosecutor. He is now seeking a job that pays $106,000 a year, but comes with a mansion in Columbia. Wilson, 51, and his wife, Jennifer, have two children. He has good name recognition in the state and moving to the governor's office is a natural step. A Winthrop University Poll found 44% of Republican voters were familiar with him. Wilson is in his fourth term as attorney general. Being attorney general gives him a bully pulpit to weigh in on national issues from time to time. 'The attorney general really is somebody who's exposed to and has a built-in understanding of a whole host of host of issues affecting the state,' said Alex Stroman, the former executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party, who doesn't plan to work for any campaign this cycle. He also has the experience of running a state agency and his office serves as the state's top prosecutor. 'It makes sense for Alan Wilson to jump into the governor's race because it is an open race, and like every attorney general, he has secured executive experience, had the chance to prosecute criminals and partner with the administration on public safety issues that people care about,' said Rob Godfrey, a longtime Republican operative in South Carolina, who also won't work for any candidate this cycle. Wilson backed Trump's 2024 reelection bid ahead of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary. The president's campaign rolled out Wilson's endorsement in September 2023 ahead of Trump's visit to Summerville. Wilson also traveled to New Hampshire before the Granite State's primary and spoke at a news conference about immigration policy touting Trump's work and criticizing Biden. During the Biden administration Wilson repeatedly challenged the administration by joining lawsuits to stop administration initiatives. Wilson also traveled to New York during Trump's hush money trial to speak out against the charges. 'I proudly sat behind President Trump in the courthouse during his trial, and I fought with him every way that I knew how to,' Wilson said. 'He's had our back, and I've got his.' He also is defending the president's use of the national guard in response to ongoing anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles. He has a fundraising base he can turn to for this race. Wilson reported more than $528,000 cash on hand in his last ethics filing. However, how much of that amount can be transferred to a new account has yet to be determined. He's also a name voters are used to seeing in the last four midterm elections. 'That muscle memory for voters is something that he has that I think is a real strong benefit, combined with his ability to fund raise and his outspokenness on issues of national concern, whether it be border security, immigration, boys in girls sports or transgender issues, he's really articulated a vision for that, in addition to the criminal prosecutions that his office has successfully handled, including high-profile cases,' Stroman said. As attorney general, his office sends out news releases showing efforts to defend conservative policies and Trump initiatives. Although news releases out of the attorney general's office will most likely not encourage people to back Wilson's campaign, they will have the secondary affect of promoting Wilson. 'He has a record of statewide service about which I'm sure we'll hear in the weeks and months and year ahead,' Godfrey said. Wilson has been repeatedly been hit by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who also is considering a run the GOP nomination for governor, over whether he is effective as an attorney general in defending women and children, and how well Wilson has fought against illegal immigration. Wilson may have a strong record, but Mace has sought to turn a potential strength into a weakness for the attorney general. He may also have to answer criticisms after being linked to the investigations into political consultant Richard Quinn Sr. A state grand jury report, which was released several weeks before the 2018 election, said Wilson impeded the investigation into Quinn. Still, voters reelected Wilson in 2018 and he was never charged with any wrongdoing. The Quinn investigation contributed to Wilson having his only true challenging reelection campaign in 2018 as he was forced into a runoff for the GOP nomination. His other reelection bids have been relatively easy. 'When you jump in the fray of a competitive primary things are a bit more spirited, and your record comes into closer focus for voters than it may have before,' Godfrey said. 'The stakes are a bit higher and so that means you're going to have to do a lot more work than you did in some of your prior races.' Some elected officials may even joke that 'A.G.' stands for aspiring governor. But history may not be on Wilson's side. The last time South Carolina elected a sitting attorney general directly to the governor's office was in the 1940s. McMaster, who served as attorney general finished third in the 2010 GOP primary, and only became governor after he was elevated from the lieutenant governor's office after Gov. Nikki Haley was appointed to ambassador to the United Nations. Attorneys general may fight initiatives on the federal level if they're from the opposite party, but 'a lot of that doesn't really translate into governor's races,' Stroman said.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Morning Bid: Trump touts 'forever' ceasefire, oil slides
A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Stella Qiu U.S. President Donald Trump surprised markets by announcing late on Monday that Israel and Iran had agreed to a complete ceasefire, potentially ending a 12-day conflict. In his own words, the ceasefire would last "forever". Investors are surely hoping it is real and will hold. It was only days ago that the U.S. launched strikes on Iran that risked drawing it into another costly foreign war. Oil prices duly slumped almost 3% on Tuesday, on top of an almost 9% tumble overnight as the immediate threat to the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane appeared to have lessened. U.S. crude futures are back at $66.80 per barrel, about the lowest since June 11 before Israel's attacks on Iran began. That is a relief for global inflation, which will make central bank efforts to tame inflation a little easier. But the situation is still very fluid. Missiles were still being launched from Iran towards Israel. Israeli media said a building had been struck and three people were killed in the missile strike on Beersheba. An Iranian official earlier confirmed that Tehran had agreed to a ceasefire, but the country's foreign minister said there would be no cessation of hostilities unless Israel stopped its attacks. Risk assets rallied nonetheless - S&P 500 futures rose 0.5% and Nasdaq futures were 0.7% higher. European stock markets are bracing for a strong rebound, with EUROSTOXX 50 futures up 1.2%. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 2.1% while Japan's Nikkei rallied 1.1%. South Korean shares hit their highest since September 2021. The beleaguered dollar, which had found some safe-haven bids from the Middle East conflict, was on the back foot again and fell 0.5% to 145.45 yen, having come off a six-week top of 148 yen overnight. [FRX/] With the Israel-Iran conflict potentially easing, investor focus shifts to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's upcoming appearance before Congress. The Fed has not made a move on interest rates this year due to the inflationary impact of Trump's tariffs. But some Fed officials are breaking ranks with Powell, whose hawkish view on rates has drawn Trump's ire. Fed's Michelle Bowman said overnight that she was open to cutting rates in July, while Governor Christopher Waller said he would also consider a rate cut next month. More Fed officials will be speaking tonight, with New York Fed President John Williams giving keynote remarks in New York and Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack due to speak on monetary policy in London. In Europe, central bankers are busy too. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey will make public appearances in London and a few ECB officials will be giving speeches. Key developments that could influence markets on Tuesday: -- Fed Chair Jerome Powell appears before Congress, along with public appearances by other Fed officials including New York Fed President John Williams, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack and Boston Fed President Susan Collins. -- NATO annual summit begins in the Hague -- Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and chief economist Huw Pill appear at a conference on Britain's return to the gold standard in 1925. -- Germany IFO business survey -- U.S. Conference Board consumer confidence -- Canadian CPI for May Sign in to access your portfolio
