CINCINNATI — One of the factors listed in City Manager Sheryl Long's decision to dismiss Police Chief Teresa Theetge was the public's negative perception of public safety, particularly following high-profile crime incidents last summer and fall.
Long announced Theetge was let go Thursday. She was originally placed on administrative leave in October.
In her termination letter, Long said Theetge's "failures" in "maintaining alignment with the City's public safety priorities and objectives, collaborating with City departments and partners, communicating effectively and being an effective leader" became more evident during the summer and fall of 2025.
"Multiple violent events became public spectacles without clear response, direction or good judgment from you," the letter stated, referring to the summer and fall.
At the time of one of those incidents — a downtown brawl that garnered national attention — Cincinnati's summer safety plan was well underway. According to the termination letter, Theetge did not agree with the plan, which included bolstering police presence in places like downtown and Over-The-Rhine.
WATCH: What city crime data tells us about Teresa Theetge's tenure as police chief
"And while you claimed the 'data' did not support filling details in areas like Washington Park, you also admitted knowing how important the downtown areas were to public safety for the entire region," the termination letter stated. "You did not mandate overtime to fill the details, even though you admitted that you could have."
We looked into Cincinnati crime data to see how numbers from Theetge's tenure compare to recent reports of shootings and violent incidents.
According to the last Cincinnati police STARS report published before Theetge's leave began, shooting incidents citywide were down 18.3% compared to the year prior. CPD District One, which includes OTR, saw a 29% drop in shootings at the time, while the Central Business District saw five more shootings year to date.
Around that time, two shootings happened at Fountain Square, the last high-profile crime incidents before Theetge's ouster. At the time, we asked her if the police department would be reassessing police detail around Fountain Square.
"It'll still get the police coverage, you know, I could have five or 10 more officers on the square—some of these folks (committing crimes), they don't care," Theetge responded.
According to Cincinnati's crime dashboard, there have been 511 violent crime incidents reported citywide so far in 2026, compared to the 540 total through April 2025. Violent crimes include aggravated assaults, homicides, rapes, robberies and strangulation incidents.
The latest Cincinnati police STARS report, published April 13, shows that there have been 57 shootings citywide so far in 2026, compared to 47 at the same time last year.
In CPD District One, data shows there has been one more shooting this year compared to the same time last year, with eight reported so far. In the Central Business District, police reported no change in the number of shootings compared to this time last year, with three reported both years.
You can find a full timeline of Theetge's tenure here.
