CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge has hired an attorney as sources say City Manager Sheryl Long is seeking her resignation, leaving the department's leadership in uncertainty.
The situation has created a holding pattern for the city, with questions mounting about Theetge's future after 37 years of service to Cincinnati.
"Chief Theetge wasn't their first pick. However, there is one thing that has certainly united all of the rank and file, and that's they all believe she's being treated poorly," said Ken Kober, president of the Fraternal Order of Police.
The controversy has renewed discussions about Issue 5, a ballot measure passed by Cincinnati voters in 2001 that fundamentally changed how the city hires and fires police chiefs.
Issue 5 emerged after the April 2001 police killing of Timothy Thomas and the civil unrest that followed. Roughly 52% of voters decided to exempt police and fire chiefs, along with certain other department heads, from civil service hiring and promotion rules.
The measure allowed city leadership to hire or appoint chiefs from outside the department and gave the city manager authority to hire and remove them without the traditional civil service protections.
"She did 37 years serving this city, and this is the way that she's going to leave this place and, you know, no one agrees that this is the right thing to do," Kober said.
The police union leader believes Issue 5 needs changes, but says amendments should involve city council members in the decision-making process.
"It needs to be amended. But it can be amended that everybody could live with. You elect city council members to represent the people. Well give those city council members the ability to weigh in," Kober said.
Any changes to the voter-approved charter amendment would need to go before voters again. This could happen through city council passing an ordinance by a two-thirds vote to place it on the ballot or through citizens petitioning the city to place proposed changes on the ballot.
Kober argues the current situation reflects broader concerns about police leadership and officer morale.
"We're going to have to have city leaders that are going to say, listen, the gloves are off, officers go out. We want you to be proactive. We want you to do what you have to do to make this city safe and we're going to support you and right now officers don't believe that that's the case," he said.
The city has not responded to requests for comment about Theetge's status or potential changes to Issue 5.
