19 Facts About Brian O'Hara

Brian O'Hara was born on 1979 and is an American law enforcement official who is serving as the 54th Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department.

Brian O'Hara previously served as Public Safety Director of Newark, New Jersey and as an officer in the Newark police force.

Brian O'Hara's father died while he was a child, and he was raised by his mother.

Brian O'Hara attended Kearny High School and graduated in 1997.

Brian O'Hara holds a graduate certificate in criminal justice education from the University of Virginia.

Brian O'Hara completed the Harvard Kennedy School's program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.

Brian O'Hara is a graduate of the 240th Session of the FBI National Academy and of the 54th Session of the Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University, O'Hara was a certified public manager and police academy instructor.

Brian O'Hara was sworn in as a Newark police officer in 2001 and began as a patrol officer in the city's West District, serving in the Vailsburg Task Force and Safe City Task Force.

In 2017, Brian O'Hara was promoted to captain and appointed to oversee the implementation of a federal consent decree mandating the City of Newark reform its policies and training around police use of force, civilian oversight, supervision, internal affairs, and procedures for stops, searches, and arrests.

Brian O'Hara acknowledged that some supervisors retired as they struggled to keep up with the pace of change.

The effort to reform the Newark Police led by Brian O'Hara resulted in Newark going an entire year without a police-involved shooting.

From 2020 until being appointed Public Safety Director, Brian O'Hara served as deputy chief and Commander of the Accountability, Engagement, and Oversight Bureau of the Newark Police Division.

Brian O'Hara managed a $244 million budget and had oversight of more than 2,000 employees; including 1,000 sworn police officers, 650 firefighters, and 350 civilian employees.

On September 29,2022, Brian O'Hara was nominated by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to succeed Chief Medaria Arradondo as the 54th Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department.

Brian O'Hara was the first police chief to be appointed in Minneapolis after the murder of George Floyd.

The first outsider appointed to lead the department in 16 years, Brian O'Hara was sworn in as the 54th Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department at a private ceremony in Minneapolis City Hall on November 8,2022, before being welcomed at a multi-cultural community event hosted by Bishop Howell at Shiloh Temple International Ministries in North Minneapolis.

Brian O'Hara serves as a regular featured speaker at MPD's DC Police Leadership Academy.

In 2023, Brian O'Hara hired a professional to write his Wikipedia page.

In 2023, Chief Brian O'Hara expressed concerns regarding the lowest staffing levels in years for the Minneapolis Police Department, with the city's budget providing for 731 sworn officers, a number mandated by law, while only 564 were available for street duty.