CINCINNATI — Attorneys representing Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge claim the upcoming release of the city's findings in its monthslong investigation into her leadership will be a "hatchet job."
City Manager Sheryl Long placed Theetge on paid leave back in October, hiring the outside law firm Frost Brown Todd to serve as independent counsel to conduct what it called a review into the effectiveness of Theetge's leadership.
Finney Law Firm attorney Stephen Imm, who represents Theetge, said the findings of the firm's investigation are coming soon, and they believe it will be "the hatchet job that we expected from the beginning."
"There is no one in the city's leadership who did not regard Terri Theetge as an excellent police chief, and ... when this forthcoming report is scrutinized, and the complete truth is revealed about Terri's leadership, everyone will know that Teresa Theetge was an outstanding chief of police — one in whom the City of Cincinnati can and should be proud," Imm said.
Imm reiterated his claim that the city was using her as a scapegoat after a summer of increased violence, including the murder of a beloved Over-the-Rhine gym owner and a downtown brawl that garnered national attention.
Despite the change, though, Imm said that "things haven't gotten better — they've gotten worse."
He said violent crime has increased in Theetge's absence, noting that 52 people have been shot in the first 10 weeks of 2026 compared to 32 shot in the first 10 weeks of 2025.
"No one is moving to place the current chief under administrative leave as they did with Chief Theetge because now, unlike last October, there's not an election coming up," Imm said.
The city has not said when findings will be released, but said in a previous statement that the process would "take the amount of time necessary to ensure it is managed with integrity, accuracy and thoroughness."
Theetge was the highest-ranking female official in CPD history before becoming interim police chief when former chief Eliot Isaac retired in February 2022. She was officially announced as the first woman to lead Cincinnati police in December 2022 after a months-long search for Isaac's replacement.
