SUNDAY'S FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF GEORGE FLOYD'S MURDER.

>> CATHY: AND THAT IS WHERE WE START TONIGHT.

ON WEDNESDAY, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGAN STEPS TO UNDO THE FEDERAL CONSENT DECREE IMPOSED UPON THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT.

THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ASKED A FEDERAL JUDGE TO VACATE THE DECREE.

WE CAUGHT UP WITH MAYOR FREY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

>> WE ARE COMMITTED TO POLICE REFORM, EVEN IF THE WHITE HOUSE IS NOT.

WE'VE MADE COMMITMENTS AND PROMISES TO THE RESIDENTS OF OUR CITY, PEOPLE HAVE PROTESTED, THEY'VE ADVOCATED, THEY'VE INSISTED ON NECESSARY CHANGE, AND THE BOTTOM LINE IS, WE'RE GOING TO DELIVER IT, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE WHITE HOUSE IS ON BOARD.

WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO COMPLY WITH EVERY SENTENCE OF EVERY PARAGRAPH OF THE 169-PAGE CONSENT DECREE.

WE'RE GOING TO WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS FOR THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AND THE CONSENT DECREE, AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO DOING THE WORK.

THE OFFICERS THAT HAVE DECIDED TO STAY ARE VERY MUCH ON BOARD WITH BEING THE CHANGE IN THIS DEPARTMENT.

THERE WAS NO SECRET THAT WE ARE MOVING TOWARDS A CULTURE SHIFT IN THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND TO THE EXTENT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ON BOARD, THEY COULD LEAVE.

NOT TO MENTION THE OFFICERS THAT ARE COMING ON BOARD NOW, THE NEW RECRUITS, THE LATERALS, THE NEW CSOs, THE COMMUNITY SAFETY OFFICERS, THEY WANT TO BE THE CHANGE.

THE REASON THAT HEY'RE COMING TO MINNEAPOLIS RIGHT NOW IS BECAUSE THEY RECOGNIZE THAT SOMETHING SPECIAL IS HAPPENING.

WE ARE MAKING THE CHANGE.

WE ARE GOING TO BE THE EXAMPLE FOR SO MANY OTHERS TO FOLLOW.

>> CATHY: JOINING US NOW IN STUDIO, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE CHIEF BRIAN O'HARA.

THANKS FOR JOINING US AGAIN.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: SO WE HEARD FROM THE MAYOR THAT YOU ALL ARE COMMITTED TO CONTINUING REFORM EFFORTS, EVEN THOUGH THE FEDERAL CONSENT DECREE IS PRETTY UCH HISTORY.

WE HAVE THE STATE DECREE.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE MAYOR SAYS THAT MARKS ARE BEING HIT FOR THAT STATE CONSENT DECREE, BUT THERE ARE ACTIVISTS, THOUGH, CHIEF WHO SAY IT'S NOT BEING FELT ON THE STREETS.

WHY DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD SAY THAT?

>> WELL, FIRST OFF, THE FEDERAL CONSENT DECREE IS NOT HISTORY.

THE REFORMS THAT ARE IN THERE, MANY OF THEM HAVE ALREADY BEEN INADOPTED INTO THE POLICIES THAT HAVE EEN REVISED THAT ARE COVERED UNDER THAT MONITOR'S REPORT.

YOU KNOW, I KNOW THERE ISN'T GOING TO BE ONE MONOLITHIC OPINION OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT I KNOW EVERY DAY I'M GETTING STOPPED ON THE STREET, I'M GETTING HANDWRITTEN CARDS AND LETTERS FROM HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS WHO HAVE TOLD ME OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS THEY DO SEE A DIFFERENCE IN HOW THE POLICE ARE ACTING ON THE STREET AND HOW ENGAGED -- HOW MUCH MORE ENGAGED THEY HAVE BEEN.

AND, SO, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S CLEAR, WE ARE NOT THERE, AND THE WORK IS NOT DONE.

BUT I THINK CERTAINLY IT'S INDISPUTABLE THAT THERE HAS BEEN PROGRESS MADE, THAT THERE HAS BEEN SOME LEVEL OF HEALING, WHICH IS A GOOD THING.

>> Eric: DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE FOLKS THAT USE HATRED OF POLICE AS KIND OF A POLITICAL LAUNCHING PAD, IS THAT GROUP IN THE MINORITY IN THE CITY OR DO YOU SEE THAT AS -- >> FOR SURE.

YEAH, THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT'S IN THE MINORITY.

I THINK THE REALITY HAS BEEN OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN A WHOLE LOT OF CRIME AND VIOLENCE AND IT HAS NOT BEEN EVENLY DISTRIBUTED IN COMMUNITIES AROUND THE CITY.

SOME OF OUR HARDEST-HIT COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN HIT THAT MUCH HARDER.

BUT I THINK FOR THE MOST PART, PEOPLE HAVE COME TO REALIZE THE URGENCY OF THE ISSUES OUR CITY IS ACING AROUND CRIME AND SAFETY, IT'S A VERY VERY BASIC HUMAN NEED.

AND I THINK, BY AND LARGE, THE MAJORITY OF RESIDENTS HERE WANT THE CITY TO ACT URGENTLY TO ADDRESS ALL OF THESE THINGS, BOTH ADDRESSING CRIME AND SAFETY AND EBUILDING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN A WAY THAT BUILDS TRUST WHILE WE'RE DOING IT.

>> Cathy: THE REBUILDING OF THE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE YOU LOST A LOT OF PEOPLE.

>> YUP.

>> Cathy: THE MAYOR TALKED ABOUT THE CULTURE SHIFT WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.

CAN YOU FEEL THAT?

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?

>> I CAN TELL YOU, MY EXPERIENCE, WHAT I'VE SEEN, WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, THESE OFFICERS WERE OBVIOUSLY VERY VERY HURT.

I'D GO TO ROLL CALLS, IT WAS DEPRESSING.

THEY WEREN'T SPEAKING TO EACH OTHER.

THEY WERE PHYSICALLY DOWN, YOU COULD JUST SEE IT.

AND THEY WERE NOT PROACTIVE.

I MEAN, IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

THEY WERE STAYING IN THE STATION A LOT.

TODAY I'VE GONE TO -- I WENT TO ROLL CALL FOR THE THIRD PRECINCT ON THE MIDNIGHT TOUR, FIRST OFF, THERE WERE MORE OFFICERS THERE THAN WHAT I EVER SAW ON THE MIDNIGHT TOUR.

THE MAJORITY OF THEM WERE OFFICERS OF COLOR, AND IT WAS PERFECTLY NORMAL, IT WAS HEALTHY.

THEY WERE LAUGHING.

THEY WERE JOKING.

THEY WERE TALKING TO EACH OTHER.

THEY WANTED O TALK TO ME AFTERWARDS.

THE SUPERVISOR WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL.

IT'S VERY VERY POSITIVE.

>> Eric: DESPITE THE DEFUND THE POLICE RHETORIC, THE MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL HAS RAISED I THINK IT'S $50 MILLION SINCE YOU SHOWED UP FOR THE BUDGET, 22% RAISED FOR OFFICERS, $18,000 RETENTION BONUS.

THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A DEFUND THE POLICE CITY COUNCIL TO ME.

>> WELL, THE COST OF POLICING HAS GROWN EXPONENTIALLY, THAT'S FOR SURE.

AND CERTAINLY IT'S NOT GOING TO GET ANY CHEAPER TO POLICE THE CITY IF THE RHETORIC, YOU KNOW, CONTINUES IN A NEGATIVE LIGHT.

PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE, IF ALL THEY EAR IS -- ARE THINGS THAT ARE NOT SUPPORTIVE OR IF PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE, EVEN WHEN ABOUT A YEAR AGO, JAMAL MITCHELL WAS KILLED, IF PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE DO NOT SEE A LEVEL OF SUPPORT AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF EVEN HOW HEROIC HE WAS, I THINK HE NATURAL THING IS GOING TO BE, IT IS GOING TO BE MORE EXPENSIVE TO HAVE POLICING, THAT'S JUST THE REALITY.

THE OTHER THING THAT'S ADDED INTO IT THAT COMPLICATES ALL OF THIS STUFF IS WHILE THE FORCE HAS GOTTEN SMALLER, THE VOLUME OF CRIME AND INVESTIGATIONS HAS INCREASED VERY VERY DRAMATICALLY AND THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF NEW WORK THAT ALSO HAS TO BE DONE BECAUSE OF ALL THESE REFORMS, BOTH UNDER THE STATE CONSENT DECREE AND THE ADDITIONAL WORK NOW WITH THOSE PROPOSED BY DOJ.

>> Cathy: YOU'VE HAD SOME INTERVIEWS OF LATE THAT HAVE BEEN A LITTLE CONTROVERSIAL.

YOU SEEM TO HAVE SOME EXPIRATION WITH CITY POLITICS.

AND I'M CURIOUS, WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING WHEN YOU ARRIVED IN MINNEAPOLIS?

>> I JUST WAS REFLECTING ON THE REALITY OF MY LIFE IN NEWARK BEFORE I CAME HERE.

AND I WORKED OR MAYOR WHO WAS VERY VERY MUCH WELL KNOWN AS A PROGRESSIVE MAYOR, AS IS THE COUNCIL THERE.

BUT THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THERE THAT ARE NOT QUESTIONABLE.

AND THAT IS, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE -- IT'S A SMALLER CITY, THEY HAVE TWICE AS MANY POLICE OFFICERS AS WE DO TODAY IN MINNEAPOLIS.

THEY WOULD NOT QUESTION SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN QUESTIONABLE HERE.

YOU KNOW, FOR MONTHS WE WERE EVEN HAVING DISCUSSIONS ON WHETHER OR NOT SHOTS SPOTTER WAS NECESSARY.

AND, TO ME, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THIS ARE SIMPLY NOT QUESTIONABLE BECAUSE THE URGENCY IS SO GREAT.

THE SUFFERING OF OUR RESIDENTS HAS BEEN SO GREAT.

AND WHILE THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF WORK WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO DO TO REFORM, WE HAVE TO ALSO ENSURE THAT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE AROUND, TO ADDRESS CRIME AND VIOLENCE, AND THAT INCLUDES, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

>> Cathy: YOU'RE UP FOR, I THINK, REAPPOINTMENT IN JANUARY.

>> UM-HUM.

>> Cathy: RIGHT?

AND I'M WONDERING, YOUR WIFE'S A NEWARK OFFICER, YOUR KIDS ARE STILL IN NEWARK.

ARE YOU STILL HAPPY TO BE HERE?

>> I LOVE MY JOB.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BEING THE POLICE CHIEF.

I FEEL HONORED AND HUMBLED TO HAVE THIS POSITION, TO BE WITH THESE MEN AND WOMEN.

BUT IT CERTAINLY HAS NOT BEEN EASY, I'LL TELL YOU THAT MUCH.

>> Eric: JUST REAL QUICK.

FOR THOSE THAT SAY THAT GEORGE FLOYD DIED OF AN OVERDOSE, THAT THE OFFICERS WERE WRONGLY CONVICTED, WHAT'S YOUR ANSWER TO THAT?

>> WE ALL SAW THAT VIDEO EXAMINE WE ALL KNEW -- AND WE ALL KNEW IT WAS WRONG.

THERE IS NO QUESTION WHAT HAPPENED.

WE ALL KNEW WHAT WE SAW BACK THEN.

AND ANYONE SAYING ANYTHING OTHERWISE IS TELLING YOU YOUR EYES WERE LYING TO YOU FIVE YEARS AGO.

IT'S RIDICULOUS.