Minneapolis PD Chief Brian O’Hara: ‘Guns are designed to kill people’

Brian O’Hara, the first new police chief appointed in Minneapolis since George Floyd’s murder, joins Margaret Hoover to discuss policing in America and the deep-seated issues impacting the relationships between communities and police across the country. O’Hara, who previously led reform efforts as a captain in the Newark Police Department, reflects on how his experience in New Jersey prepared him for his new role at the helm of another troubled department. With violent crime in Minneapolis starting to decline after a two-year surge, O’Hara addresses the underlying causes of gun violence, as well as his concerns about progressive policies like bail reform and defunding police departments. In the wake of the Tyre Nichols case in Memphis, O’Hara also comments on racial disparities in policing, the benefits and limitations of body-worn cameras, and whether ending qualified immunity would solve the problem of police misconduct. Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The Fairweather Foundation, The Asness Family Foundation, The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, The Center for the Study of the International Economy Inc., Damon Button, The Pritzker Military Foundation on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, The Marc Haas Foundation, and Stephens Inc.