CINCINNATI — After more than three years as Cincinnati's top cop, Teresa Theetge has been dismissed from her role as police chief, the city announced Thursday. The decision comes months after Theetge was first placed on administrative leave and decades after she joined the department.
October 1990
According to her personnel files, the west-sider joined the Cincinnati Police Department over three decades ago. Born into a law enforcement family, both Theetge's father and her brother were on the force.
Working her way up the ladder, Theetge became the highest-ranking woman in department history when she was promoted to executive assistant police chief in 2020. When then-Chief Eliot Isaac retired in February 2022, she became the first woman to be named interim chief.
December 2022
After a months-long search for Isaac's replacement, Theetge was announced as the first woman to lead the Cincinnati Police Department in December 2022.
"This is a historic moment for our City and police department," City Manager Sheryl Long said while announcing Theetge's hiring. "She is the first female Police Chief and was chosen through a transparent recruitment process where I took input and advocacy from all interested stakeholders."
When she became chief, Theetge spoke at length about addressing ongoing gun violence, as well as officer wellness and recruiting.
January 2024
A year after she swore in as chief, we spoke with Theetge in January 2024 about some of the "growing pains" she said she had dealt with since taking the role. However, she noted she learned to delegate to her full complement of assistant chiefs on staff.
Additionally, she continued to speak about officer recruitment and retention, but noted fears that the city might want to "de-police" by way of attrition were unfounded.
Theetge said she had met with the then-prosecutor and juvenile court administration to discuss holding juveniles accountable "because we can't have a revolving door" — another issue she and others have since spoken about at length.
Later that year, a rash of summer shootings caused concern. However, police data showed that shootings and gun violence had dropped in the first half of the year.
August 2025
The next year, though, reported crime in downtown Cincinnati took center stage. A violent brawl in July 2025 garnered national attention, while hundreds of car break-ins and multiple high-profile shootings made some question what city leaders were doing to address the situation.
The city laid out a new public safety plan to address downtown crime, adding more walking details and deploying the Civil Disturbance Response Team, SWAT and street team crimes task force to high-traffic areas.
At the time, Theetge appeared supportive of the city's plan. However, Mayor Aftab Pureval said after her dismissal that Theetge was "not collaborative (and not) proactive," specifically noting that she refused to fill downtown details and dragged her feet to get things going despite his offering to double money for overtime.
"We expect results, we expect collaboration, we expect clear communication and we need the right people in those roles," Pureval said after her dismissal.
October 2025
Pureval appeared to back Theetge publicly throughout the year, but a shooting at Fountain Square in October appeared to change things.
Two people, including a juvenile, were shot outside CityBird in Fountain Square at a time when four officers were patrolling the area. Pureval announced increased patrols by the Civil Distribution Response Team and SWAT, as well as introduced legislation to create and enforce an even earlier curfew.
One week later, the city placed Theetge on leave "pending an internal investigation into the effectiveness of her leadership." Her attorney, Stephen Imm, said Theetge was told she would be placed on leave the day of her 35th anniversary with the department.
Imm told reporters the move was "hasty and unlawful," claiming the city was looking for a scapegoat ahead of a general election deciding the fate of the mayor and city council.
"She is being used as a political scapegoat and a political pawn," Imm said at the time. "Terri deserves better than this. Cincinnati deserves better than this."
The city later announced it had hired Frost Brown Todd to serve as an independent counsel conducting the review into the police chief.
March 2026
On March 31, the firm released its report summary of the investigation, which stated that Theetge had "not been an effective leader."
Frost Brown Todd's report, released Tuesday afternoon, says the firm conducted interviews with Theetge and 32 witnesses to discuss whether she has been an effective leader, committed any policy violations or disregarded best practices to the detriment of public safety.
The firm determined that Theetge's "old school approach" directly led to "a siloing of departments where departments competed for talent, resources and information."
"The majority of all witnesses interviewed indicated that Chief Theetge could not return to the CPD and be effective, and that assessment is supported by the investigation," the report says.
April 2026
On April 10, Theetge went to a pre-disciplinary hearing at City Hall. Afterwards, she spoke to reporters for the first time since she was placed on leave.
"I miss the work. I miss the men and women of CPD immensely," Theetge told reporters. "We didn’t start this fight, but by God we’re going to finish it."
At that time, her attorney told reporters that if the city decided to dismiss her, "we're going to fight that vigorously until we get justice for the chief."
Nearly two weeks later, Long announced she had dismissed Theetge as chief — a decision Pureval said he fully supported.
Long said she stands by the amount of time it's taken to come to the decision to dismiss Theetge, noting that it was a difficult decision, but "it's become clear that a change in leadership is necessary for the department moving forward."
Pureval told reporters after the announcement that it is his understanding Theetge had told the city several times she was open to resigning, but once that process began, she changed her mind. Specifically, the mayor said she demanded $7.5 million.
"We need the right people in the job, and $7.5 million is a nonstarter," Pureval said.
Per her termination letter, Theetge has 10 days to appeal her dismissal.
