CINCINNATI — WCPO made several attempts Wednesday to speak with leaders at Cincinnati City Hall about the independent investigation into Cincinnati Police Department Chief Teresa Theetge.
Council member Meeka Owens was the only person who agreed to an interview.
The nine-page report — commissioned by the City Solicitor's Office and conducted by law firm Frost Brown Todd — concluded that Theetge has “not been an effective leader” and detailed issues with communication, department cohesion, and her relationship with city leadership.
Owens told us she had “skimmed through” the report but would not weigh in on its conclusions.
“It was a report done independently by a third party," Owens said. "That’s the information that was uncovered."
WATCH: Council member Meeka Owens weighs in on investigation into Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge
Owens said she believes the city solicitor took a methodical approach in ensuring the investigation was handled by an outside firm and that she’s confident the city manager is “following, to the letter,” the disciplinary process.
"The city manager will review it, and Chief Theetge will have a chance to respond. It was an investigation. It's facts on paper, and so that's what it is," Owens said. "The rest of this is a process that has to play out. And certainly can't get into detail beyond that. Protecting the city's interest is extremely important right now."
Despite our efforts to speak with them, no other council members would comment on the investigation report. Council member Seth Walsh told us he hadn't had time to review it, while others said they plan to look through the findings.
Some said they simply had no comment.
City Manager Sheryl Long issued a statement following the report's release Tuesday, stressing that the city is "committed to a fair, thorough and legally sound process."
"This report is the result of an independent investigation conducted by outside counsel and has been shared with Chief Theetge," the statement said. "This remains an ongoing personnel matter and it’s important to allow the process to proceed in the time required to protect the integrity of the review. I will not comment further until a decision is made.”
Retired Cincinnati employment attorney Randy Freking told WCPO the report raised more questions than it answered.
"This cannot be the complete report," Freking said. "I would have expected exhibits, some kind of timeline and much more detail in the report. Also, I would have expected some mention of whether or not Chief Theetge was given any kind of warning or progressive discipline before she was suspended."
Freking noted repeated phrases in the report, like “many witnesses,” without defining how many. He also questioned whether witness bias was considered, citing the report’s note that “many” were upset Theetge was hired in the first place.
"Just numbers alone do not tell the story of who is to be believed," Freking said. "We don't know from this report anything about the number of witnesses that supported the conclusions, and we don't know whether or not any credibility determinations were made."
Freking said there was also no mention of affidavits or whether witnesses were under oath. He said that due process requires transparency on these points — and that Theetge should have been given a chance to respond to specific allegations.
“It’s unclear from this report whether she had that opportunity," Freking said. "In longer, thorough reports, that’s made obvious.”
The investigation was intended to determine effectiveness, possible policy violations and public safety risk. Freking said the report was silent on the latter two.
“I assume that means there were no policy violations and she did not put the city at risk, yet those conclusions aren’t stated outright," Freking said. "So there's a lot of unanswered questions."
We also asked Owens about that missing information. She said ultimately, it's the city manager's decision.
"(Long) is the sole person responsible for hiring and firing of head personnel, and so I think in the public document that you also saw is really what her response is to why she needs to make these decisions," Owens said.
Theetge is scheduled for a pre-disciplinary hearing before the city manager. No date has been announced.
Freking said Theetge’s attorney will likely request investigator notes, reviewed documents and possibly depose the investigator.
"This nine-page report with (dozens of) witnesses interviewed seems skimpy," Freking said. "In my opinion, that doesn't look like just-cause evidence for termination without more warning or progressive discipline."
