National Media & Thought Leadership
National Commentary,
Media & Thought Leadership.
Brian O'Hara is a nationally recognized voice on crisis leadership, executive decision-making, organizational transformation, and public safety. His commentary and analysis appear regularly in the nation's leading publications and broadcast outlets — from 60 Minutes and Face the Nation to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Newsweek.
As Featured In
Press Coverage
Select National
Media.
Coverage from the nation's leading news organizations, spanning crisis leadership, police reform, and organizational transformation.
Brian O'Hara, Minneapolis Police Chief, on ICE and the City's Future
Minneapolis Police, ICE Killings and the Struggle for Reform
How Minneapolis Looks From the Police Chief's Squad Car
Minneapolis Police and Residents Forge New Common Ground During ICE Operation
Minneapolis Chief on Policing a City in Chaos
Minneapolis Police Reform: George Floyd, Five Years Later
Minneapolis PD: Northside Shootings at 10-Year Low
Minneapolis Homeless Encampments Drop
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara on Policy Changes
Four Years After George Floyd's Death, Police Work to Build Trust Amid Staffing Woes
Minneapolis Police Face Officer Shortage Nearly 4 Years After George Floyd's Murder
Minneapolis Police Reform: George Floyd's Death
The US City Where Police Went an Entire Year Without Firing a Shot
Newark's Next Public Safety Director Has Spent Years Working on Reforms, Building Community Trust
For interview requests or media inquiries, contact [email protected]
Written by Brian O'Hara
Featured National
Commentary.
Brian O'Hara writes for the nation's leading publications on crisis leadership, executive decision-making, and public safety reform.
Newsweek
Immigration Agents Keep Shooting at Drivers. There Is a Better Way.
In this Newsweek op-ed, Brian O'Hara draws on his experience leading the Minneapolis Police Department through some of the most consequential moments in modern American policing to argue for a better approach to immigration enforcement — one that prioritizes de-escalation, community trust, and the safety of everyone involved.
Fear Undermines Public Safety — Naming It Is Not Politics
How to Transform Policing and Regain Public Trust
Pardons of Jan. 6 Rioters Are a Slap in the Face to Those Who Serve
Officer Jamal Mitchell Was Exceptional, But He Was Not the Exception
Do We Expect Too Much from Police Officers?
Counterpoint: Reduction in Violence Is Undeniable Progress
Newark Officers Are Forging a Vital Connection With the Community
Philosophy
Leadership Through
Crisis.
Brian O'Hara's writing and public commentary are not simply accounts of events — they are a sustained argument about how leaders must think, decide, and act when institutions are under pressure. Across Newsweek, The Hill, Governing Magazine, and the Star Tribune, he has advanced a coherent philosophy: that crisis is not an interruption of leadership, but its ultimate test. His work connects organizational resilience, public trust, executive decision-making, and transformational change into a single body of thought — one forged from 25 years of leading through some of the most consequential moments in American policing.
Crisis as Crucible
The most important leadership decisions are made under conditions of uncertainty, public scrutiny, and institutional stress. Brian writes about how executives must lead when the stakes are highest.
Trust as Strategy
Organizational effectiveness depends on public and institutional trust. Brian's work examines how leaders build, lose, and rebuild trust — and why it is the foundation of every other leadership outcome.
Transformation from Within
Real organizational change requires leaders who understand both the culture they are trying to change and the people they are asking to change it. Brian writes about transformation as a leadership discipline.
Accountability as Leadership
Shared responsibility, transparent decision-making, and institutional accountability are not constraints on leadership — they are expressions of it. Brian's commentary consistently returns to this theme.
Television & Documentary
National Television &
Documentary Features.
From 60 Minutes to PBS Firing Line, Brian O'Hara has become one of the most trusted voices on national television for insight on crisis leadership and public safety.
Minneapolis Police Chief Worries About Escalating Tensions With ICE
Brian O'Hara on Crisis Leadership and Police Reform
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara on Reform and Public Safety
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara on Policing and Public Safety
Documentary Features
Book Brian O'Hara
Keynote speaking, executive advisory, and media inquiries.
Podcasts & Long-Form Interviews
In-Depth
Conversations.
Extended conversations on leadership, policing, and organizational transformation — for listeners who want to go deeper.
NYT / The Daily
The Minneapolis Police Chief on ICE Shootings
The New York Times' flagship daily podcast — listened to by millions — features Brian O'Hara in an extended conversation on the collision between federal immigration enforcement and local policing, and what it means for public safety.
Photography
Speaking
in Action.
Leadership Panel
Executive Forum
Leadership Conference
FBI National Academy
Harvard Kennedy School
Community Engagement
Media Inquiries
Schedule a Media Interview
Brian O'Hara is available for television, podcast, and print interviews on crisis leadership, public safety, and executive leadership.
Request an Interview