Ex-Newark Top Cop May Become Minnesota’s Next Police Chief

NEWARK, NJ — Newark’s former top cop has been nominated to take over as police chief in Minneapolis, more than two years after the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota’s largest city.

Brian O’Hara, Newark’s former director of public safety, has been nominated to become the next Minneapolis police chief, multiple media reports announced this week.

O’Hara was recently given a new role as deputy mayor of strategic initiatives for police services/public safety. He took over for his longtime predecessor Anthony Ambrose last year; the position is currently occupied by Fritz Fragé.

O’Hara served on the police force in Newark for 20 years before rising to the top cop job. He earned degrees in criminal justice from Rutgers University, studied at Harvard Kennedy School, and completed training at the FBI National Academy.

O’Hara has also been one of the key administrators involved in the reform of the Newark Police Department.

Once known for corruption and racial profiling that led to an infamous federal consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Newark Police Department has seen a wave of change in recent years.

In 2021, the city reallocated 5 percent of its police budget to create the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, which provides social services to residents in an effort to break the cycle of violence. Read More: Newark Will Take $12M From Police, Reinvest In Social Services

The city also graduated its first class of 10 social workers along with 67 Newark police recruits that year. "We cannot arrest our way out of violence and trauma," Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery director Lakeesha Eure said, echoing a call that many community activists had been making for decades. Read More: Newark Police Recruits, Social Workers Graduate Side-By-Side

In recent years, police officers in Newark have been undergoing training that aims to remedy past problems and "de-escalate" potentially deadly situations. It's been working, top public safety officials say – no local cop fired a shot in 2020.

• See related article: Newark Cops Rescue Suicidal Teen: 'Hold On, Brother, We Care'
• See related article: Newark SWAT, Police Use Sensitivity To Avert Tragedy, Officials Say

Newark police are also collaborating with the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, Newark Community Street Team and Newark Street Academy, and other community groups in an attempt to stop the violence before it begins – which has been paying big dividends, some say. Read More: Healing From Violence: Newark Youth Find Refuge At 'The Hubb'

The Newark Police Department has seen an uptick in violent crime in the past year, including a wave of fatal shootings, which has prompted citywide protests, rallies and other events.

• See related article: Uptick In Deadly Violence Renews Push For Peace In Newark
• See related article: 'Peace Walk' Against Gun Violence Unites Thousands In Newark

But local public safety officials have said that overall violent crime in the city has been waning over the past few years.

Last year, O'Hara said that during the last three years the city has seen its lowest number of murders in six decades.

"You would have to go back to [John F. Kennedy], when he was president in the early 60's, to get three similar years that compare to what we have seen here in this city over the last three years," O'Hara said.

George Floyd’s death struck home in Newark, a city with its own history of racial turmoil. After his murder, thousands of people came together in New Jersey’s largest city for a protest against police brutality. Read More: 5 Inspiring Glimpses Into Newark's Peaceful George Floyd Protest

In June 2021, three days before the Juneteenth holiday, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, actor and filmmaker Leon Pickney, artist Stanley Watts and other dignitaries unveiled a massive statue honoring Floyd outside City Hall.

Just over a week later, the statue was defaced with graffiti.

• See related article: 2 Years After George Floyd: What Changed In NJ, What Stayed The Same?
• See related article: Newark Group Says NJ Should Have Done More After Floyd's Death

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