CINCINNATI — City Manager Sheryl Long dismissed Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge, effective immediately, according to a Thursday morning announcement from the city.
"I recognize Chief Theetge's more than 35 years of service to the Cincinnati Police Department and to this city," said Long in the press release. "At the same time, after completing this review, it's become clear that a change in leadership is necessary for the department moving forward."
Long is referring to a report summary of a third-party investigation into Theetge, released in late March, that said Theetge had "not been an effective leader."
The city's announcement says the decision was made following "the findings of an independent investigation into her leadership, a formal hearing with Chief Theetge and careful consideration of the facts."
Watch Long answer reporter questions following the announcement:
According to the announcement, Interim Chief Adam Hennie will remain in command of CPD, but the city will provide an update on permanent leadership of the department in the coming weeks.
Long held a brief press conference Thursday morning, after the announcement was made, where she said she decided a change in leadership for the Cincinnati Police Department was necessary.
"This decision is not about whether crime remains a challenge in our city," Long said when asked about crime rates not changing in the months since Theetge was put on leave. "Public safety is a complex issue for every major growing city. The decisions were based on the findings of an internal review and whether leadership met the expectations required for the position."
Long said she stands by the amount of time it's taken to come to the decision to dismiss Theetge, adding that it was a difficult decision.
Reporters also asked Long whether she'd offered Theetge a settlement, Long said she couldn't speak to that.
"What I can say is that Chief Theetge and I had a conversation way before any of this happened, where she asked me to provide her the professional courtesy to step down if there was ever a time in which I did not want her to be chief," Long said. "She said she wanted that professional courtesy so that she could walk away with her head held high. I provided her that professional courtesy. Chief Theetge changed her mind."
In response to the announcement, Stephen Imm with Finney Law Firm, which has represented Theetge throughout her leave, called Long's reasons for dismissing Theetge "phony."
"Today is a sad day for the City of Cincinnati," Imm wrote. "Its leaders have taken the shameful step of dismissing one of its most accomplished and beloved public servants for no legitimate reason. They know their phony excuses for this disgraceful action are entirely false, but still chose to put this black mark on our great city. We will get justice for Terri Theetge, and those responsible for this disgusting act will be held accountable."
Finney Law Firm is also currently representing former Cincinnati Fire Chief Michael Washington, who was fired by Long in 2023. Washington is currently suing the city over his termination.
Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police President Ken Kober released a statement following the news, calling the decision to dismiss Theetge a poor one.
"This is the latest example of a poor decision made by the city manager that is likely going to cost the taxpayers millions," Kober wrote. "I look forward to seeing Chief Theetge fight this unjust termination."
Kober previously said he was one of the more than 30 people interviewed by Frost Brown Todd for the independent investigation into Theetge. He told us he was surprised the report released by the law firm contained no positive assessments of Theetge.
"There was nothing good said about her," Kober said in March. "I can tell you myself, I said things that were very complimentary. It's troubling that it wasn't a complete report. It was only things people perceived as bad about her."
Last week, the city contracted employment law firm Jackson Lewis P.C. following a pre-disciplinary hearing between the city manager's office and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge, who has been on paid administrative leave since October.
Jackson Lewis P.C. will, according to the contract, provide advice, counsel and assistance in connection with City Manager Sheryl Long's review of the investigative report into Theetge's leadership and "any resulting decisions regarding Teresa Theetge's employment status."
According to the contract, obtained by WCPO, the law firm will bill the city for hours worked, with a maximum compensation set at $50,000, including hourly fees and reimbursable expenses.
"No other compensation of any kind, including but not limited to fringe benefits or overheard, shall be paid by the City unless the City Solicitor authorizes otherwise in a confirming email or writing in advance," the contract says
Theetge's attorney said city officials did not say much during her pre-disciplinary hearing at City Hall. Attorney Stephen Imm said they instead listened to Theetge as she responded to the allegations in the independent investigation done by Frost Brown Todd.
After the hearing, Theetge described the feelings and support she has received in the last several months.
"I can't go anywhere in this region without somebody stopping me and saying, 'I've been treated badly by the city,'" Theetge told reporters Friday afternoon in her first public comments since being placed on leave. "I've been in Butler County, Warren County, Hamilton County, Northern Kentucky. People stop me everywhere."
Imm told reporters last week he hoped the city would bring Theetge back to work.
“For the city to bring her back at this point, I think, will involve a certain amount of embarrassment for the city. I hope that doesn’t interfere with them doing the right thing at this point," Imm said.
Still, he said he realized the ball was in the city's hands. But he added that, if the city decided to remove Theetge, "you can imagine what we're going to be doing."
He also said a financial settlement would not fix the damage done to Theetge's career.
"There's no amount of money that would ever make it right. There's no amount of money that could ever restore the reputation that chief Theetge has lost as a result of this series of actions," Imm said.
Theetge said the process has been "not fun" these past few months, and that she misses her job.
“I miss the work. I miss the men and women of CPD immensely,” Theetge said. “We didn’t start this fight, but by God we’re going to finish it."
What did the investigation into Theetge say?
The nine-page report was the result of interviews with 32 witnesses on Theetge's leadership of the department. The firm determined that her "old school approach" led to a "siloing of departments where departments competed for talent, resources and information."
The report stated the majority of witnesses said she "could not return to the CPD and be effective." It also blamed her communication style for creating a "lack of transparency and distrust" in the department.
The report notes that while Theetge ran the administrative side of the department well, she struggled to work with city leaders, attempting to block City Hall from communicating with her command staff and found the department has "a strong culture" of retaliation and a perception of favoritism or nepotism.
Theetge's attorneys have called the decision to place her on leave and investigate her leadership "hasty and unlawful," claiming she was being used as a "political scapegoat and political pawn" ahead of the mayoral and city council election. Imm said at a news conference weeks ahead of the report's release that they expected it to be "a hatchet job."
Her family members called it biased, speculative, and intended to push her out of the job.
Theetge's brother, retired Cincinnati Police Captain Russ Neville, who served in multiple leadership roles over 35 years, said the report bears "no semblance whatsoever to what a true investigative report should look like."
