Brian O'Hara raised his right hand and swore an oath to uphold the laws of Minneapolis on Monday morning during a private ceremony inducting him as the city's 54th police chief.
O'Hara sworn in as Minneapolis police chief
In private ceremony at City Hall, O'Hara becomes first outsider in 16 years to lead MPD.
November 8, 2022 at 2:16AM
In a brief speech, he vowed to reduce violent crime and rebuild community trust by creating the best department in the country.
"Going forward, I do expect members of this department to uphold their oath," said O'Hara, 43, a veteran law enforcement official from New Jersey who was unanimously confirmed by the City Council last week.
"I intend to be present in the community as we drive this mission forward. I'm the type of leader who prefers the street corner to the corner office," he said. "So the police officers can expect to see me out there on the street backing them up at critical incidents."
The remarks were met by applause in a council chambers packed with dozens of uniformed officers, elected officials and city staff. A public celebration welcoming O'Hara will be held Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Shiloh Temple in north Minneapolis.
Before the city clerk administered the oath, Mayor Jacob Frey acknowledged interim Chief Amelia Huffman, who sat in the first row. "She took the reins when few were able or willing to do it — and we all owe her a debt of gratitude," he said of her nine months of service, prompted by the retirement of former Chief Medaria Arradondo.
Huffman received a standing ovation.
O'Hara is allowing appointed members of the department's administrative staff to stay in their current roles for now. "Whoever does remain I expect them to be all in on the mission," he told the Star Tribune after the swearing-in ceremony, noting that changes will be based on job performance.
Hours later, O'Hara sent a departmentwide email announcing that Huffman would temporarily fill the role of acting assistant chief — a position that for months has remained vacant while Henry Halvorson is out on medical leave.
O'Hara steadily climbed the ranks of the Newark, N.J., Police Department before becoming public safety director and, most recently, deputy mayor. During his time there, supporters credited him for collaborating with longtime department critics and working to implement the terms of a federal consent decree mandating sweeping changes to the agency. Many city officials expect Minneapolis will soon face similar court orders as a result of concurrent investigations by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and U.S. Justice Department.
O'Hara is the first outsider to lead the Minneapolis Police Department in 16 years. He succeeds Arradondo, who served as the city's first Black chief and led the agency through George Floyd's murder and the ensuing crises.
O'Hara will earn an annual salary between $253,000 and $300,000 — up significantly from the roughly $204,000 Arradondo earned last year.
At O'Hara's confirmation last week, Council Member Robin Wonsley offered her blessing, emphasizing that his experience overseeing the consent decree in Newark must drive critical changes here, including in upcoming contract negotiations between the city and Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis.
"It's clear to me that you come from a police force that had a much higher standard of ethical practice than our force," Wonsley said. "There is a well-documented history of [elected leaders] turning a blind eye to the violent practices that exist within MPD. I have no interest in continuing that tradition."
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