Police chief Teresa Theetge’s firing landed with the force of a public argument already in motion: who was responsible for Cincinnati’s uneasy feeling about safety, and what should leadership have done differently when violence and scrutiny rose together.
On Friday, former chief Teresa Theetge and her attorney responded publicly after a monthslong investigation into her effectiveness in the job. Steven Imm, her attorney, said Theetge will appeal the city’s decision, request an impartial hearing, and file a lawsuit against the mayor and city manager, alleging gender discrimination and a lack of due process.
Why was Teresa Theetge removed from her post?
City Manager Sheryl Long announced Thursday that Theetge would be dismissed immediately after Theetge had already been suspended in October following a string of high-profile crimes in the city. In the dismissal letter, officials cited insubordination, inefficiency, unsatisfactory performance, and dishonesty.
The city’s criticism centers on Theetge’s handling of the 2025 Summer Safety Plan and the police response after two shootings near Fountain Square in October 2025. Long’s letter said Theetge did not meet staffing requirements, opposed a stronger police presence in the urban core, and refused support from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
Imm rejected that framing, saying the city’s reasons were “phony” and insisting the former chief would be vindicated. He also said a recording of the disciplinary meeting between Long and Theetge in early April will be released and would prove the allegations were false. The attorney argued that Mayor Aftab Pureval’s political ambitions played a role in the firing and said Pureval threatened to fire Long if she did not remove Theetge. The mayor’s office denied that he directed Long’s decision.
What does the crime data show during the police chief’s tenure?
The record is more complicated than either side’s strongest language. In the last Cincinnati police STARS report published before Theetge’s leave, shooting incidents citywide were down 18. 3% from the year before. CPD District One, which includes Over-the-Rhine, showed a 29% drop in shootings at that time, while the Central Business District had five more shootings year to date.
Later, the numbers shifted again. Cincinnati’s crime dashboard shows 511 violent crime incidents citywide so far in 2026, compared with 540 through April 2025. The latest Cincinnati police STARS report, published April 13, shows 57 shootings citywide so far in 2026, compared with 47 at the same point last year.
In CPD District One, police data shows one more shooting this year than at the same point last year, with eight reported so far. In the Central Business District, shootings were unchanged year over year, with three reported in both periods.
How did the public fight over safety shape the decision?
The dispute was never only about numbers. It was also about visible control, reassurance, and whether residents believed police were present where they needed to be. Long said Theetge failed to align with the city’s public safety priorities and did not communicate effectively or lead effectively. The termination letter said multiple violent events became public spectacles without a clear response, direction, or good judgment.
During the controversy, Theetge had acknowledged the importance of police coverage in key areas. In one response about Fountain Square, she said it would still receive police coverage and noted that even five or 10 more officers might not stop some offenders. That line now sits inside a larger argument over what the city expected from its police chief and what the chief believed the department could realistically deliver.
What happens next for the former police chief?
For now, the next chapter is legal. Imm said Theetge will seek an appeal, an impartial hearing, and a lawsuit over rights violations. He said the case mirrors the firing of former Cincinnati fire chief Michael Washington, whose wrongful termination lawsuit was upheld in federal court.
On the city side, officials are standing by the decision and disputing claims that the mayor intervened improperly. The outcome may turn on the discipline record, the meeting recording Imm says will be released, and the city’s own explanation of why a change in leadership was necessary. For residents, the stakes are broader than one personnel dispute: they reach into how the city defines safety, measures progress, and decides when a leader has lost the room.
In the end, the scene that framed this dispute remains the same: officers, sirens, and anxious neighborhoods trying to make sense of crime numbers that can improve in one month and worsen in the next. The question hanging over police leadership is whether the city’s next answer will bring clarity, or only a new round of blame.
