Cincinnati’s first female police chief fired after refusing to flood crime hotspots with cops
A long fight ahead.
Cincinnati’s first female police chief is out after refusing to flood crime hotspots with more officers. Teresa Theetge was fired on April 23, 2026, ending a 35-year career with the city’s police department and a three-year run as its top cop. City Manager Sheryl Long made the call, saying a change in leadership was needed after what she called ineffective management during a violent summer.
According to Fox News, the move came months after four White male officers sued Theetge, claiming they were passed over for promotions and assignments because of their race and gender. That lawsuit, filed last May, accused her of favoring women and minorities in hiring and promotions, calling it a “systemic practice of discrimination against white males.”
Theetge, who became the city’s first female police chief in January 2023, has denied those allegations. Long’s termination letter stated that Theetge ignored requests to boost police presence in high-crime areas, admitting she didn’t agree with the city’s Summer Safety Plan. That plan called for more officers in the urban core, but Theetge reportedly dragged her feet.
Long wrote that she ‘begged” Theetge to fill police work details, but the chief resisted
The letter also slammed Theetge for skipping a public safety town hall the night after a shooting in downtown’s Fountain Square, opting instead to attend a play. “You should not need to be told to attend a public safety meeting the night after a shooting,” Long wrote.
The city’s struggles with violent crime last summer put it under a national microscope. In late July, a brutal beatdown outside the LoVe nightclub in downtown Cincinnati went viral. A group of suspects stomped on two White victims after knocking them to the ground. One victim suffered severe neurological damage. Seven people were arrested in the weeks that followed.
The incident, along with two shootings in Fountain Square in October, ramped up pressure on Theetge. Long’s letter called out her response to those shootings, saying she “failed to provide leadership.”
Theetge’s firing didn’t come as a surprise to her legal team
Her attorney, Stephen Imm, said she learned of her termination via email and called the decision “outrageous.” The Cincinnati CityBeat reports that at an April 24 news conference, Imm announced plans to fight the city on two fronts: a challenge before an impartial arbiter and a federal lawsuit alleging violations of Theetge’s constitutional rights. He called the city’s actions politically motivated, accusing officials of making Theetge a scapegoat during an election year.
Imm also hinted at a third potential lawsuit against Mayor Aftab Pureval, alleging he illegally disclosed that Theetge had sought $7.5 million to resign. According to Imm, the figure was discussed in confidential mediation, and Pureval’s public mention of it was a “criminal act” and a breach of contract.
“We’re considering a third lawsuit based on the fact that the mayor and others within the city have blatantly breached confidentiality for cynical political purposes,” Imm said. The lawsuits could be filed as soon as next week.
Theetge, who attended the news conference but didn’t speak, has been on administrative leave since October 2025. That leave followed a fatal stabbing in June and the downtown brawl in July, which sparked public outrage. She was called back from a conference in Denver to address departmental issues, but after a months-long investigation by an outside law firm, city officials concluded her leadership wasn’t up to par.
Imm painted Theetge’s firing as a personal and professional betrayal
He called her one of the most distinguished officers in the department’s history, with a 35-year career that included breaking barriers as the city’s first female chief. “She didn’t get to where she is by being a wilting flower,” he said, adding that the past six months had been “extraordinarily painful” for her. He said she is seeking reinstatement and wants to clear her name, but if the city refuses, she’ll push for financial compensation for the damage.
Interim Chief Adam Hennie is now leading the department, and the city says it will update the public on permanent leadership in the coming weeks. For Theetge, the fight is just beginning. Her legal team is gearing up for a lengthy battle, and if Imm’s words are any indication, they’re not backing down.
“If they’re going to insist on kicking her to the curb, ruining her reputation, labeling her service to this city as a failure and making her take the fall for their own mistakes and failings,” Imm said, “then yes, they are going to have to pay for those disgraceful acts.” Theetge’s case raises questions about the pressures facing police leadership in cities grappling with rising crime.
Her refusal to flood hotspots with officers, despite city demands, puts her at odds with a common strategy in law enforcement. Some argue that saturation policing can reduce crime in the short term, but critics say it can also strain community relations and lead to over-policing in marginalized neighborhoods. Theetge’s stance suggests she may have been trying to balance those concerns, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to save her job.
(Featured image: Raymond Wambsgans)
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