MINNEAPOLIS — The Public Health and Safety Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to send Brian O'Hara's nomination to the Minneapolis City Council.
Now, O'Hara's fate will lie with the council, which could vote as early as next week.
During a public hearing Wednesday, O'Hara, who was nominated by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, heard from members of the community and fielded questions from some of the council members.
O'Hara was asked his vision for department transparency and transformation, how he would handle officer misconduct, his approach to recruitment and retention, and what should be done with the MPD third precinct building, views on off-duty police work, and much more.
"I've already tried to start now, to be present as much as possible in community to get to know as many people as I can," said O'Hara. "To listen to hear what community expectations are throughout the city but also to be present among the rank and file officers, to hear what their concerns are and give some validation to the trauma that they have experienced as well."
O'Hara is a veteran officer out of New Jersey and has experience working in a department that has experienced consent decrees, basically court-enforced mandates to guide policing practices after systematic failures. These are likely to come to Minneapolis soon as a result of either a state investigation, federal Department of Justice investigation, or both.
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