>> George Floyd's murder at the
hand of police in Minneapolis
led to a widespread push for
police reform and racial
justice.
Our special correspondent sat
down with the new police chief
in Minneapolis to talk about the
challenges of the past few years
and the department's future.
>> Ryan O'Hara was sworn in as
the 54th police chief last
November.
He took over a department at the
center with changes to policing.
The department down hundreds of
officers since 2020.
He came from Newark New Jersey,
where he led efforts to bring
the police department in line
with the federal consent decree.
In March, Minneapolis reached a
settlement with the Minnesota
department of human rights with
legally binding reforms,
including limits to traffic
stops and use of force and
emphasis on de-escalation and
additional training.
A federal consent decree widely
expected here, as well.
We spoke with chief O'Hara and
asked him about the world of
implementing the changes
agreements require.
>> I don't think of it as a
check list of stuff to do and
prove to the court and a monitor
you have done it.
It is more about changing the
culture of the agency.
The number one thing we need to
do besides trying to rebuild the
sworn staffing levels would be
to engage community in this
process to make sure community
feel like they have a voice and
with the training would look
like in the future, what it
looks like in the city.
That will be a difficult lift.
It will be much harder than it
was in the work because people
have in through so much trauma
and it has not been addressed.
Also, it is a much more engaged
community in a lot of respects
than what I have seen
previously.
>> You have to deal with several
political realities, one is
resistance from the FPD unit,
which expressed its skepticism.
The union had saying some of it
could be a potential logistical
nightmare.
>> I think she's correct.
The agreement with the state and
federal consent decree is a
gargantuan task.
It is the way forward and what
we have to do.
And I'm ok if it takes us some
time to figure that out.
I'm ok if we have to engage
community, take more time to
make sure we are getting things
right and that we are not
jeopardizing public safety
trying to implement these
gargantuan requirements.
>> Last month, Minneapolis
reached multimillion dollar
settlements with two people who
allegedly excessive force by
Derek chauvin used before he
fatally knelt on George Floyd's
neck.
In a statement, he called him a
national embarrassment but said
there was a systemic failure
within the Minneapolis police
department allowing for and even
encouraging unjust and brutal
policing.
>> It is very frustrating three
years after George Floyd's
murder, we are dealing with the
conduct of the former officer
who murdered him.
The most frustrating part is
different super site --
supervisors reviewed his condo
previously and as an agency, we
were not able to hold the former
officer accountable.
That is why I think it is
clearly a systems problem as
opposed to trying to scapegoat
one or two persons here or
there.
That is why I think it is much
deeper than dealing with the one
former officer.
>> You go out on patrol
frequently, you have gone to the
side of homicides.
What can you tell us about your
tenure on the street and
elsewhere in this job?
>> After everything that has
happened, people in this
community are entitled to an
engaged police chief.
In order to be engaged, I need
to be present.
Over the last three years,
police officers experienced an
incredible amount of trauma.
While people were leaving the
job, I think there was a retreat
from doing police work.
There was a fear.
I think if we are going to be in
a position where we are going to
address serious street crime in
a real way, I have to tell the
cops I need you to do your job.
At the same time, we need to be
able to earn people's trust.
Regardless of whatever
settlement agreement, the
consent decree, we are going to
continue to be present and be
the police.
>> Higher than before the
pandemic, but the city has seen
a drop in homicides, shots
fired, and carjackings compared
to the same time in 2022.
He credits officers with the
department.
>> The cops who work in
Minneapolis who have been here
just like our residents, all of
this uncertainty, possibly
disbanding the police
department, they are incredibly
resilient.
We are definitely at a very
critical point where we need to
keep pushing forward because I
think there is a great risk we
could slide backwards.
>> That push forward has not
been without missteps.
Earlier this month, Minnesota
reformer reported O'Hara
personally signed a job offer
letter for a former Virginia
police officer who repeatedly
tasered and struck an unarmed
black man in 2020.
You ordered a full investigation
.
Is there any update?
Do you worry it undermines
credibility of the department?
>> Of course.
It is a very serious concern of
mine.
I was not happy about it once I
learned about that person's
history.
The matter remains under
investigation.
The process remains under
investigation.
How could the rubric for
conducting these hiring and all
of the different laborers --
layers of review, how can it not
be flagged?
I can ensure we will be making
significant changes to the
process, the structure of how
these things are conducted to
make sure something doesn't
happen again like this.
>> You would like to have a few
more hundred officers on your
staff.
What attributes might we see
that did not exist in prior
ones?
>> Police departments are having
real challenges with staffing
levels and finding recruits.
Nowhere else in the country is
it more pronounced than in
Minneapolis.
I think there's a very negative
perception not connected to the
reality of who the Minneapolis
police officers are today and
what we are trying to
accomplish.
I want to be intentional about
focusing on young people from
Minneapolis with connection, but
also on the candidates that want
to be part of getting this
right.
>> Chief Ryan O'Hara, thank you
so much.
>> Fred's reporting is a
partnership with the untold
stories project with the
university of St. Thomas.