'One of us has got to go' | Theetge alleges Mayor Pureval pressured city manager to fire her

CINCINNATI — After Police Chief Teresa Theetge's attorney Stephen Imm announced plans to appeal her termination and sue the city Friday, he released audio of a pre-disciplinary hearing in which Theetge answered nearly two hours of questions from him as city administrators watched.

In the recording, Theetge answered the city's complaints point by point and revealed new details about what she said happened behind the scenes in the violent summer and fall of 2025.

Theetge said her relationship with city leaders effectively hit a breaking point after a shooting at Fountain Square Oct. 13.

She told Imm that she spoke on the phone with Mayor Aftab Pureval and City Manager Sheryl Long on the way to the scene, and tried calling Pureval again as she was leaving. Theetge said the mayor didn't answer her second call, and that Long called her in a panic.

WATCH: We break down the recording of Theetge's pre-disciplinary hearing

"I've talked to Sheryl enough times on the phone. I can tell when she's calm. I can tell when she's in a panic mode, and she told me she had talked to the mayor. I said, 'Well, I talked to the mayor. He was fine.' She said, 'Well, I talked to him. He's not fine. He said it's me or you. One of us has got to go,'" Theetge said in the recording.

Imm responded, asking, "meaning Ms. Long or yourself?"

"Correct," Theetge said. "That was where I believe she made the decision that I was going to be gone."

Later in the recording, Theetge discussed what happened when Long pulled her from the 2025 International Association of Police Conference within an hour of arriving in the city.

Theetge testified that during a phone conversation with Long, she asked whether she would be allowed to stay with the department.

"I said, 'Sheryl, I would like to stay two more years. I want to fulfill my five-year commitment.' She said, 'Yeah, that's not happening. You need to come back," Theetge said.

Theetge said Long asked her to resign at the next meeting she had upon her return to Cincinnati.

When we reached out to Pureval's office about Theetge's accusation that he pushed for her termination, a spokesperson denied it.

"The Mayor has consistently been clear on the fact that it is not true, and that he did not direct the city manager’s decisions in this personnel issue," the spokesperson said.

He referred any other comment to a press conference Pureval held Thursday, where he said Long made the decision.

"I fully support the city manager's decision," he said.

Pureval said he expected a lawsuit and pledged to fight it.

"It's incumbent on us to fight that to protect the city and protect the city's budget," he said.

We reached out to Long's office about Theetge's pre-disciplinary hearing. They declined to comment.

You can hear the full audio of the pre-disciplinary hearing released by Imm in the video below:

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